Dozens of fast horses galloped along Longqing Lane. The sound of hooves, shouts, and laughter startled the birds in the trees.
Seeing them galloping over from afar, the gate of King Song's Residence was already opened. The diligent servants removed the threshold and the dozens of fast horses rushed into the residence without stopping.
Li Chengqi dismounted and shouted, "Quickly prepare the hot water. I want to bathe and change clothes with my brothers."
Steward Old Cheng of King Song's Residence welcomed them with a smile, "Langjun, the hot water is already prepared. The banquet is also ready!"
Li Chengqi and the others strode toward the bathroom. As they walked, they heard Li Chengyi yelling, "Hey! I say, Ol 'Five, you still need to practice your bow-striking technique. Just now on the court, your' Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon 'almost hit me in the head. If I didn't dodge fast enough, I would have been hit by your ball. "
Li Longye laughed and said, "Erlang, why don't you say that your horsemanship is too bad? We're on the same side. I already got the ball. Shouldn't you have rushed ahead of me to receive me? Who asked you to chase behind my horse's butt? In the end, San Lang intercepted the ball."
The five brothers were covered in dust and drenched in sweat. They had actually just returned from the ceremony. They chatted and laughed as they entered King Song's bathing room. Although this bathing room was not as extravagant and extravagant as the Dragon Gate Hot Spring Palace in Luoyang, the five brothers often bathed together, so this bathing room had been constructed with this in mind, making it extremely spacious.
The five brothers took off their clothes and stripped naked. Li Longye was the first to jump in, stirring up a wave of water. After the five brothers entered the water, they laughed and joked around for a while, as if they were celebrating a water-splashing festival. The outside of the pool was covered with water stains, and the heat was also dense. Being in the pool was like being in the clouds, and only then did they casually chat.
After chatting for a while, Li Longye suddenly remembered something. He couldn't help but grin at Li Longji and say, "Hey, I heard that there's been a lot of rumors going around in the capital recently. They say something like, 'If you're not the legitimate eldest son, you can't be appointed. Otherwise, a calamity will fall upon the country.' Some people even made this into a nursery rhyme and spread it everywhere. Isn't this obviously targeted at you, Li Sanlang? Sanlang, did you offend someone?"
The smile on Li Longji's face immediately stiffened. Fortunately, the fog was pervasive, so the bystanders couldn't see it clearly. They could only feel that he was in low spirits. Li Longji was silent for a moment before he forced a smile and said, "Let's just ignore the irresponsible remarks of others. Otherwise, we will fall into his trap and make things worse. "
Li Chengqi nudged Lao Wu with his knee under the water and said, "That's right. Speaking of which, among us five brothers, who can help father govern the world well but you, San Lang? It's the country's blessing that San Lang is willing to take up this heavy responsibility, and it's also the ancestral spirit of us brothers. San Lang, the innocent will be innocent, the turbid will be turbid. You don't have to take it to heart. "
Li Longji smiled and said, "Don't worry, Big Brother. San Lang knows what to do."
Although he said this, Li Longji still felt a wave of sadness in his heart. He naturally knew who had instigated this rumor to spread. It had already been three months since he had become Crown Prince, and this rumor had spread less than half a month after he had become Crown Prince.
And it wasn't just a rumor that troubled him. Ever since he had become Crown Prince, he was well aware of how many spies his aunt had planted in the Eastern Palace. He had his own group of people, and it wasn't easy to secretly plant a new person at his side. But his aunt didn't do it in secret. She used father's trust in her and the power of the Zhenguo Princess Taiping to directly interfere with the Eastern Palace's subordinate officials, replacing all of his subordinates in the Eastern Palace with her people.
Not only did these people monitor Li Longji's every move, they also created obstacles for his actions and authority. Li Longji knew that father and aunt had a deep relationship, and he also understood that after ten-odd years of hard work, his aunt's foundation was far deeper than his own. Therefore, he didn't dare to oppose this aunt, and could only endure and give in. Given his unyielding personality, he had suffered countless grievances because of this.
He didn't understand why his aunt was so against him. When aunt and niece had joined hands to deal with the Wei clan, they had been so close. Why was it that now that he had become Crown Prince, and his aunt had become the reclusive Emperor who sat behind his father, the relationship between the two had suddenly become like this?
Li Longji sighed inwardly and splashed a handful of water on his face, washing away the depression and melancholy in his heart. He smiled at Li Chengqi and said, "Let's not talk about these unhappy things. After we eat and drink to our heart's content, us five brothers will compete again in terms of musical instruments. Big Brother, you mustn't let me win! "
In the depths of the night, a lively and cheerful "Dance of the Spring Wind" drifted out from the reception hall of the King Song Residence, blending into the bright moonlight.
The reception hall was a mess of cups and plates. The five brothers didn't remove the dishes and started playing their instruments. Li Chengqi played the flute with his lips, Li Longji beat the drum with his palms, Li Longye played the drum, and Li Longfan played the zither. Among the five brothers, Li Chengqi had the most boorish appearance and temper, but his large hands were actually very nimble when playing the zither.
When the song was over, Li Chengqi and the others burst into laughter. Li Longji smiled as he picked up a cup of wine and drank it in one gulp. He suddenly felt an indescribable sadness in his heart and couldn't help but cry. Seeing this, Li Longye couldn't help but ask in surprise, "San Lang, what's wrong?"
Li Longji hurriedly covered it up and said, "Oh, it's nothing. I used too much strength on the drum just now, so I'm out of breath and choked on the wine."
Li Chengqi and the others weren't meticulous enough and didn't suspect anything after hearing it. Li Chengqi, however, gave him a meaningful glance and said, "San Lang, there are a few words that I want to say to you in front of all the brothers."
Li Longji quickly sat up straight and said, "Big Brother, please say it!"
Li Chengqi said, "You and I are brothers. Back then, when we were imprisoned in the Eastern Palace, we didn't know if we were going to die or not. Every day, we lived in fear. We could only encourage each other and struggle to survive. For the past ten years, you and I have been confined to the Eastern Palace. Other than a few servants by our side, we didn't see a single outsider. Only us brothers accompanied each other day and night, playing together, learning and reading together. In the cold winter season, there wasn't enough firewood. The dripping water outside turned into ice, and the inside was as cold as an icehouse.
We could only hug each other for warmth and struggle to survive. Sixth Lang … it was at that time that he died … "Speaking up to this point, Li Chengqi's eyes were already glistening with tears." San Lang, you have a firm temperament and are resolute in your actions. When the Wei family was in power, the army and the imperial court were full of Wei cliques. Raising troops and rebelling was almost certain to result in death, but you still did it without hesitation. What are you afraid of?
I know what you're afraid of, and I know why you're suffering in your heart. Today, big brother will clearly tell you that in this world, nothing can destroy the affection between us brothers. It's impossible for the throne, and it's even more impossible for others to drive a wedge between us! "
"Big brother …"
Li Longji grabbed Li Chengqi's hand, all the grievances accumulated in his heart over the past few days turned into hot tears and flowed down his face.
Li Chengqi grabbed Li Longji's hand tightly and said loudly, "We brothers must love each other for life, never betray each other!"
The other brothers leaned over and held their hands tightly together. Their faces were full of excitement as they said in unison, "Love each other for life, never betray each other!"
…
Every day, Princess Taiping received the ministers and dealt with government affairs in the Yin An Palace Hall. She often didn't rest past noon, forgetting to sleep and forgetting to eat. But on this day, when there was still more than an hour before the lunch break, she suddenly slammed a letter in her hand on the table in anger, flicked her sleeve and left the Yin An Palace Hall.
Seeing this, Zhan Huo, the Chief Officer of the Princess's Mansion, didn't dare to say anything. He just walked out and hastily signaled the officials standing outside the hall to leave. Those officials had been waiting for more than half a day, how could they bear to leave just like that? Later on, Zhan Huo had a brainwave and gave them a number plate, promising that they wouldn't have to line up tomorrow. Only then did they leave one after another.
As soon as Princess Taiping left, her personal advisor and chief strategist, Mr. Mo, put down his pen and chased after her in quick steps.
Princess Taiping left the Yin An Palace Hall and walked to an elegant courtyard with a pavilion and pond in the side room. Only then did she stop walking while leaning on the railing. Her chest was heaving up and down, obviously she was still very excited.
The fish in the water thought someone was throwing them food, they swam toward her one after another, stirring the water into a red and yellow mottled wave.
Mr. Mo walked toward Princess Taiping and cupped his fist in greeting, "Princess."
Princess Taiping did not turn her head around. After a long silence, she angrily said, "When the Wei family was executed, Wei Juyuan was more than eighty years old, he was also executed because he belonged to the Wei clique. Because his surname was Wei, Wei Anshi was also implicated and was punished at home. It was I who investigated and found out that Wei Anshi did not belong to the Wei clique, so I cleared his name and reinstated him as the Prime Minister. But he did not know how to be grateful. I invited him to the banquet, unexpectedly he flatly refused! "
Princess Taiping angrily flung her sleeves and added, "There is also Yao Chong and Song Jing, those two ingrates. If I did not give them the nod, would they be able to become the Prime Minister? But after they returned to the capital, they actually joined hands to oppose me again and again!"
Mr. Mo calmly state, "Among the court officials who are Princess's enemies, only Zhang Shuo was once the King of Lin Zi's Tutor. The rest of the court officials do not have any personal relationship with Li San Lang. In fact, they did not even have any contact with Li San Lang in the past. Although they received Princess's grace, they strongly supported Li San Lang. Does Your Highness know why?"
Mr. Mo enunciated each word clearly, "Because Li San Lang is a man and Your Highness is a woman! In the eyes of the world, women should not be superior to men. Ever since the Empress and Empress Wei regained power, they raised the butcher's knife high and increased the prison system. The court officials are even more vigilant against women interfering in politics. "
Mr. Mo added, "Moreover, Li San Lang is the Crown Prince appointed by the Son of Heaven. He has a righteous reputation and this is especially important! Based on this fact alone, even if Princess tried your best to be courteous to the wise, Li San Lang would still be able to recruit more talents. In the long run, his position will be even more stable and Your Highness will no longer have a chance. "
Mr. Mo took a step forward and enunciated each word clearly, "Your Highness, unless you admit your defeat now and hand over all your power, you can still enjoy a life of glory and splendor. Otherwise, you will have to strike first and gain the upper hand. If you delay … you will definitely lose! "
"Strike first and gain the upper hand!"
Princess Taiping silently recited this sentence and slowly raised her proud head, clenching her fists tightly!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
