As the spring rain fell in the north, large patches of snow melted. The white that had lasted for an entire winter gradually lost its dominance. In the upper reaches of the Yellow River, as the ice melted and entered the riverbed, the water level of this mother river began to increase significantly. The roaring river water rolled up the dirt that covered both sides of the riverbed in winter and rushed down. The rain curtain on both sides of the Yellow River was bleak.
Down the Yellow River and across the rolling Yangtze River, the land in the south had already awakened. After the second of February, the spring plowing began one after another. On the vast land, farmers herded cattle and began the new year's work in the crisscrossed fields. On the Yangtze River, merchant ships were already busy facing the wind and waves. Big and small cities, big and small workshops, and the caravans that came and went ceaselessly provided strength for this period of prosperity. If one did not look at the millions of troops that had already moved to the north of the Yangtze River, people would also sincerely sigh that this was really a good time of prosperity.
In a sense, it was indeed a good year.
In the city of Lin 'an, child beggars gathered to sell their pitiful stories to passers-by. Swordsmen formed groups of three to five, drawing their swords and heading to the border. At this time, scholars could finally find their own passion. Due to the disaster in the Northern Land, there were many girls who were sold into brothels and brothels. In the singing of the prostitutes, there were often many sad or tragic colors. Merchants came and went, and the imperial court was busy with official affairs. The officials often worked overtime and were overwrought. In this spring, everyone had found a suitable position for themselves.
The war in the north and Tian Shi's tragic story were currently a hot topic in the city. Black Flag's participation was insignificant here. With the departure of Zong Han and Xi Yin's armies, Jindi was about to face a disaster. At the same time, the war in Xuzhou had already begun. Crown Prince Jun Wu led a million troops to guard the northern defense line. He was the focus of the scholars.
At this time, some of the more knowledgeable people were still paying attention to the situation in the southwest. As the Huaxia army's declaration of truce and appeal for a common resistance against the Jin spread, a scandal related to the southwest was unexpectedly uncovered in the capital.
This scandal was related to Long Qifei.
Ever since last summer, when the Black Flag Army revealed their true intentions and invaded Sichuan, Ning Liheng, the former regicide maniac, had once again entered the sights of NMAU's students. Right now, even though the Jurchens' threat was already imminent, when the situation suddenly became a tripartite confrontation, towards the Black Flag Army, this type of great threat that came from the rear, in many scenes, it instead became an important focal point that even surpassed the Jurchens' side.
After all, no matter if it was from the perspective of chatting or showing off, talking about how strong a Jurchen was would undoubtedly seem old-fashioned and cliché. Moreover, letting everyone notice the blind spot behind them showed that people's thinking was different from others. The threat of Black Flag rose for a period of time. In October and November, the Great Scholar Long Qifei arrived in the capital with first-hand information about the southwest and became a rising star in the social circle of Lin 'an.
As mentioned before, Long Qifei, who had just arrived in Lin 'an, wanted to salvage the situation. At the same time, while exaggerating his efforts in mending the sky with one hand, he was actually lobbying the nobles everywhere, hoping to make people aware of the Black Flag Army's strength and ambition. Of course, this also included the importance of the Chengdu plains occupied by the Black Flag Army to the Wu dynasty.
However, the situation was stronger than the person. For a hot potato like the Black Flag Army, there were not many people who could face it head-on. Even Qin Hui, who had once strongly advocated a crusade against the Southwest, could only silently swallow the bitter fruit after being set up by the Emperor and his colleagues. It was not that he did not want to attack the Southwest, but if he continued to advocate sending troops, what would he do if the Emperor set him up again?
Because of this reason, Long Qifei's appeal was met with a wall. In a rage of humiliation, he joined the Left Minister Zhao Ding's faction and spouted many of Qin Hui's bad deeds, as well as his ugly behavior of initially encouraging everyone to go to the southwest to cause trouble, but now he no longer cared about the southwest's future troubles.
At the end of the year, Qin Hui was attacked from all sides because of this, and only after pretending to be a grandson countless times did he obtain Emperor Zhou Yong's forgiveness. At this time, it was already February.
In this February, in order to coordinate with the upcoming battle in the north, Qin Hui was extremely busy in the Bureau of Military Affairs. Every day, it was difficult for him to return home. It seemed that he had no time to take care of a minor figure like Long Qifei.
As for Long Qifei, he had already stepped onto the stage, so he naturally could not easily step down. Over the past few months, Long Qifei had been deeply worried about the southwest and had become the leader of the scholars. Occasionally, he would lead the students of the Imperial College to kneel on the streets in the city. At this time, the world was in a precarious situation, and the students' worry and patriotism was a much-told tale. Zhou Yong had already passed the stage where he wanted nothing more than to play with women every day as an Emperor and get caught. Back then, he had people kill the gossipy Chen Dong. Now, when he was in the inner palace, he did not look at these students and scholars. Instead, he would occasionally praise them. When the students were rewarded, they would praise the Emperor for being wise, and both sides would be happy and harmonious.
The first to meet with misfortune at Long Qifei's side was the leading courtesan of the brothel, Lu Guo 'er, who had followed him to the east. This heroine had drugged Long Qifei at a critical moment and then accompanied him to escape from Zi Zhou, which was in imminent danger under the threat of the black flag, to the capital. This story became a much-told tale. After Long Qifei became famous, Lu Guo 'er, who was his confidante, also began to gain fame. In the past few months, even though she pretended to be devoted to Long Qifei and did not go out much, she had slowly formed a small social circle.
However, on Long Qifei's side, there was actually another story behind the "much-told tale." Long Qifei had a guilty conscience and had a grudge against the woman by his side. He promised Lu Guo 'er that she would be his concubine. Then, he abandoned the woman and went to the vanity fair. In February, Long Qifei finally noticed that the woman around him was no longer the same as before, during the occasional intervals when they were together.
He was a hero in the first place. Therefore, he decided not to make any moves and investigated in private, only to discover that the woman from the southwest had already been immersed in the glamorous world of the capital. Most troublesome of all, she had a young scholar as her lover.
On the seventeenth of February, the war in the north and the declaration of war in the southwest were causing an uproar in the capital. At midnight, Long Qifei killed Lu Guo'er in his new house. Before he had time to destroy the body, the officers who received the report from Lu Guo'er's new lover rushed into the house and arrested him. Lu Guo 'er's new lover, a young scholar who was concerned about the country and the people, stepped forward and reported Long Qifei's ugliness to the government. Later, the officer found Lu Guo' er's personal letters in the residence, which recorded the development of the southwest and the ugly truth that Long Qifei asked her to cooperate with him when he was on the run.
On the third day of his imprisonment, Long Qifei confessed everything under the irrefutable evidence, including the reason why he killed Lu Guo 'er because he was afraid that the truth would be exposed. The incident shocked the capital for a while. At the same time, the officer who was sent to the southwest to pick up Li Xiannong, another meritorious man, was already on his way.
When Li Xiannong came to the capital, no one knew what the situation in Lin 'an would be like. During this period, Qin Hui, who had been busy in the Privy Council, didn't do anything. He didn't do anything when he was criticized by Long Qifei, and he didn't do anything at this time. When people thought of this incident and talked about it, they couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, saying that he was a selfless official who was unmoved by favors and disgraces and devoted to the country.
In the spring rain of February, after some people who knew the inside story heard about the development of the situation, most of them dismissed it with a smile.
Zhou Pei heard about Long Qifei's incident on the carriage to the imperial palace. The people next to her roughly described what had happened. She just sighed and put it behind her. At this time, the outline of the war had become obvious. The smoke of gunpowder almost reached people's eyes. The princess's mansion was in charge of propaganda, internal affairs, searching for Jurchen scouts, and many other tasks. One day, when she was about to go out of the city, she suddenly received a summons from her father. She didn't know what new ideas her father, who had been a little worried since the beginning of the year, had.
When she entered the palace, Zhou Yong, with his hands behind his back, was pacing under the eaves in front of the imperial study. No one knew what he was thinking. After Zhou Pei greeted him, the emperor came over with a smile and helped her up. "My dear daughter, you are here. You don't have to be so polite …" He said, "Come on, it's cold outside. Come inside first."
Zhou Pei entered the imperial study and stood in front of the chair. Zhou Yong, with a smile on his face, put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Have you eaten?"
"What's the matter, Father? Just say it …"
"Nothing, nothing important. I just miss you, haha, so I summoned you in. Haha, what's the matter? Is there something on your side? "
Zhou Pei stared at this unreliable father with bright eyes. Then, out of respect, she lowered her eyes first. "Nothing important."
"You look thinner," Zhou Yong said sincerely.
"I am very touched that Father is concerned about my health." Zhou Pei smiled and appeared gentle. "But why did you summon me into the palace? Father, you should just say it."
"Ahem, it's … it's not anything important, it's just …" Zhou Yong was a little embarrassed. "There's something that I have been thinking about for the past few days, but I haven't figured it out yet. I just wanted to … ask you to discuss it. After all, you are very intelligent. Of course, uh …"
"…"
Zhou Yong went "uh" for a while. "It's … the matter in the southwest …"
"What matter in the southwest?"
"The one surnamed Ning said to seek peace …" Zhou Yong stared at his daughter. "What do you think, Son?"
Zhou Pei understood. Ever since the shadow of the Jurchens struck, this unreliable father had been worried every day, although he didn't say anything. His intelligence was limited, and he usually indulged himself in pleasure. It was a bit difficult for him to use his brain now. After Tian Shi's death, the southwest immediately issued a declaration to stop attacking Zizhou. They also called on the Wu dynasty to stop opposing the southwest and use their greatest strength to resist the Jurchens.
The Black Flag Army had already occupied more than half of the Chengdu plains and stopped at Zizhou. When this declaration reached Lin 'an, there was a lot of discussion. But in the upper echelons of the court, negotiating with a regicidal demon was a bottom line that could not be crossed. None of the court officials were willing to step on this line.
From the standpoint of the Wu dynasty, this kind of declaration seemed righteous, but in reality, it was giving the Wu dynasty a hard time. It gave them two choices that they couldn't choose and pretended to be open-minded. For the past few days, Zhou Pei had been fighting against the Black Flag spies who were secretly spreading this matter, trying to erase the influence of this declaration as much as possible. Who knew that the court officials didn't take the bait, but it was her father who bit the hook.
Zhou Pei held back her anger. "Imperial Father knows very well that negotiating with the regicidal demon will make it difficult for the Wu dynasty's orthodoxy to survive — this is simply impossible. Ning Yi is just flowery words and sweet words. He knows in his heart that the Wu dynasty has no choice … "
"Ai, how could I not know the difficulty of this matter? Once I say it, I'm afraid those old scholars in the court will point at my nose and scold me … But Daughter, the situation is stronger than people. Sometimes you can be unreasonable, but sometimes you can't be unreasonable, so you have to admit defeat. The Jurchens are killing their way here, and your little brother is in front …"
Speaking to this point, Zhou Yong sighed. "At first, I wanted to be a good emperor and leave a good reputation, but after all, I didn't have a clue. But I still remember the situation when the Jurchens killed their way here that year. During that half year of drifting on the sea, Jiangnan was filled with killing and many people died. I've let them down, but the one I've let down the most is your little brother. I abandoned him and left. He was almost caught by the Jurchens … "
"Junwu is fierce, upright, and smart. I can see that he will be a good emperor in the future, but our Wu dynasty is still a mess. If the Jurchens destroy all our property, we will have nothing. These days, I've asked the court officials in detail, but I'm afraid they still won't be able to stop her. With Junwu's character, what can we do if he dies there? We need a way out … "
Zhou Yong's words were sincere and his tone was humble. Zhou Pei listened quietly and felt somewhat moved. In reality, after all these years as emperor, although Zhou Yong indulged his children a lot, he had already become a person who liked to put on airs. Usually, he was still a loner. At this time, he was discussing with her in such a humble manner. It could be said that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart, and it was for his little brother.
But even though she was moved, this matter couldn't be put on the table. Zhou Pei sat up straight and clenched her fists on her knees. "Father …"
"That's why I've thought about it. It's just a wild guess, and I don't know if it makes sense or not. Daughter, just listen …" Zhou Yong interrupted her and said cautiously, "There's no way to rely on the court officials, but you, my daughter, have a way. Can we get in touch with them first …"
"Father!" Zhou Pei's anger flared up immediately.
But Zhou Yong didn't stop. He said, "I'm not talking about getting in touch. What I mean is that you two were friends back then. The last time Junwu came, he said that you actually admired him. I've been thinking about this for the past few days. Great, extraordinary things must be done in extraordinary ways. The biggest crime that Ning fellow committed back then was killing Zhou Zhe, but we're family now. If you and him … we can force it. As long as we're a family, those old fogeys are nothing … Daughter, you don't have anyone by your side right now. That Qu Zonghui deserves to be killed … To be honest, I've been feeling guilty about your marriage all these years … "
The Emperor lowered his voice and gestured with his hands, which made the scene in front of her seem particularly dramatic. Zhou Pei didn't understand at first, but at some point, there was a buzzing sound in her head. It was as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head, along with the incomparable anger and humiliation that came from the deepest part of her heart being seen. She wanted to stand up, but she couldn't. She waved her arm, but didn't know where it went.
The Emperor was still speaking when there was a loud crash on the tea table. The princess's left hand had broken the teacup. The shards flew everywhere, and then blood flowed out. It was scarlet and viscous. It was a ghastly sight. The next moment, Zhou Pei seemed to realize something. She suddenly knelt down, unaware of the blood on her hand. Zhou Yong rushed over and shouted towards the outside of the hall …
The little episode in the palace finally ended with the eldest princess returning to her mansion with her left hand wrapped in bandages. The Emperor dispelled the whimsical idea that no one else knew about it. It was the end of the tenth year and second month of Jianshuo. Many things in the south were still peaceful.
The tragic battles in the Daimyo Residence and Xuzhou had already begun. At the same time, the division of the land of Jin had essentially been completed. Although Lou Shuwan had brazenly taken a lot of the fruits of the war thanks to the victory of the Hua Xia army, but with the arrival of the Lady Zhenren, a huge coercion had actually descended upon this place.
In the end, Lou Shuwan, Yu Yulin, Lin Zongwu, Ji Qingli, and the other factions occupied some of the large and small cities to the west and south of Wei Sheng. The surrender faction led by Liao Yiren cut off many areas in the east and north that faced the pressure of the Female Zhenrens. In essence, nearly half of Jin had been turned into an occupied area.
While announcing their surrender to the Female Zhenrens, Liao Yiren and the other factions mobilized and gathered their troops under the instruction of the Female Zhenrens. They began to march towards the west and south, beginning the first round of siege. At the same time, the Black Flag Army, who had obtained victory in Lin Province, rushed towards the east. Meanwhile, Wang Juyun led the Wisdom King Army and began their journey south.
Under such a background, the Great Radiant Sect's Leader Lin Zongwu, with the cooperation of Lou Shuwan and the others, and a group of followers, obtained the rights to rule three cities in the extreme east and south of Gai Province. At the same time, they also obtained a large amount of resources and armaments.
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