Usually, the women had nothing to do with the Lantern Festival, but this year, the Emperor wanted to make it a big deal. Even the women had to wake up early in the morning to spend time with the tedious ceremony.
Mu Mingtang was wearing a heavy ceremonial robe, and her back was aching. When the ceremony was finally over and she could move freely, Mu Mingtang immediately found a seat to rest.
If she trusted Hsieh Hyun-chen again in the future, she would be a pig's brain!
Mu Mingtang really didn't have the energy today, so she deliberately hid from the crowd. She didn't expect that there would still be people chasing after her even after she hid so far away.
Jiang Mingwei had been very proud of himself recently, and he finally found an outlet to vent his anger after holding it in for a year. For a full year and a half, Jiang Mingwei watched as Mu Mingtang was surrounded by people and flaunted her strength. Hsieh Hyun-chen spent a lot of money for her, and the Emperor and Empress gave in to her in every way. Even Madam Jiang often advised Jiang Mingwei not to fight with Mu Mingtang, and to be more patient and humble.
Everyone told her that Hsieh Hyun-chen wouldn't live for long, and that Jiang Mingwei just had to endure until now. Jiang Mingwei endured and endured, and in the end, Mu Mingtang still spent money as she pleased, and Jiang Mingwei still swallowed his anger and acted subserviently. Even Xie Xuanji didn't show any signs of standing out.
People said that Hsieh Hyun-chen was going to die, but he refused to die. He endured the poison, and after practicing martial arts for half a year, his body was almost the same as when he was at his peak.
He didn't hide his concern for Mu Mingtang, and he wanted to announce to the world that Mu Mingtang was his only reverse scale, and anyone who touched it would die.
Jiang Mingwei once felt that the tragedy of his previous life was repeating itself, and he couldn't see the end of the road. Recently it could be said that after the bitter times came sweet times, Xie Xuanji was finally placed in an important position by the Emperor. As soon as Jiang Mingwei overturned the situation, he immediately came to Mu Mingtang to show off.
She wished she could show it to Mu Mingtang and tell Mu Mingtang how much the Emperor relied on Xie Xuanji, and how many people came to curry favor with Jin Wangfu every day. Jiang Mingwei seemed to want to use this method to convince herself that her choice was correct. Her husband was still the destined male lead.
Mu Mingtang was resting in a secluded place. When she saw Jiang Mingwei rushing towards her from afar, she sighed in annoyance.
How annoying. Was Jiang Mingwei done yet?
Jiang Mingwei stopped beside Mu Mingtang and asked deliberately, "Sister-in-law, is this seat taken?"
Mu Mingtang secretly rolled his eyes and said, "No one."
Jiang Mingwei then sat down as he wished. After she sat down, a sharp-eyed palace maid immediately came forward to change the tea for Jiang Mingwei. Jiang Mingwei lifted the tea lid and took a sip. She turned around and smiled apologetically at Mu Mingtang, "I've caused Sister-in-law to be offended. It's just that my stomach is picky and I'm only used to drinking fresh Maojian tea. I can't take any other tea leaves."
Mu Mingtang made an "en" sound and couldn't bear it anymore, so he asked, "Jin Wangfei made a special trip here. It seems that you have something to say. If there's anything you want to say, there's no harm in saying it, so as to avoid delaying each other's time. "
"This concubine is very ashamed to have delayed Sister-in-law's time." Although Jiang Mingwei said this, she changed the topic and asked, "The Lantern Festival is such a lively day. You should be together with everyone to celebrate the new year. Why is Sister-in-law sitting alone in such a remote place? Could it be that there's no one to talk to Sister-in-law on such a good day? "
Mu Mingtang raised an eyebrow and endured, saying, "You can think whatever you want. Does Jin Wangfei have something else to say? "
Mu Mingtang didn't hide her intention to chase away the guest. Jiang Mingwei felt awkward, but the anger in his heart was still stifled. Therefore, he still shamelessly sat down.
"Sister-in-law's temper is really bad today. Could it be that something doesn't go your way? "
Mu Mingtang almost couldn't help but roll her eyes. She couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Jiang Mingwei. She changed her position and closed her eyes to rest on the table.
Mu Mingtang propped up her forehead with her elbow and her sleeve naturally slid down. Jiang Mingwei unexpectedly saw a bruise.
It wasn't just one bruise, because there were several bruises connected together. Looking at the shape, it seemed like someone's fingers had accidentally pressed on this area and bruised it.
Inadvertently piercing the heart was the most fatal. Jiang Mingwei suddenly felt his heart stifled. He couldn't say the words he had prepared to show off.
Yesterday, Mu Mingtang had also entered the palace. Jiang Mingwei could clearly see that her position wasn't there yesterday. That was to say, it was added last night?
Jiang Mingwei had an extremely indescribable feeling. She remembered that when Mu Mingtang and Hsieh Hyun-chen had just gotten engaged, Jiang Mingwei felt indignant. Furen Jiang had even comforted her, saying that Mu Mingtang would be a living widow once she married. How could she compare to Jiang Mingwei's husband, who was in love with each other?
Who would have thought that, in the blink of an eye, the person who was basically a living widow would become Jiang Mingwei in a year?
Xie Xuanji's fu was filled with beauties. There were princesses sent by the Northern Tribes, palace maids sent by the Empress, and beauties sent by his subordinates. Later, when everyone saw that pillow talk was effective, they began to cater to Xie Xuanji's tastes and sent beauties to him. Now, the fu was full of fat and skinny people, each with their own merits. One day wasn't even enough for everyone. How could Xie Xuanji have the time to pay attention to Jiang Mingwei?
She could only see Xie Xuanji in her room on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. Later, Jiang Mingwei listened to the dowry nanny's words and changed the face of the beautiful dowry maidservants. She used fresh people to keep Xie Xuanji.
Jiang Mingwei, of course, didn't care about this kind of thing because of her etiquette. It was just that she didn't have an heir yet.
This was the reason why she was so anxious.
Jiang Mingwei came to find Mu Mingtang today for two reasons. First, she wanted to get back at him. Second, she wanted to inquire about the situation in Prince An's fu. What was going on with Hsieh Hyun-chen? How much had his body recovered?
Now, looking at Mu Mingtang's expression, she seemed to have the answers to these two questions.
Jiang Mingwei suddenly felt dispirited. What was the point of showing off here? What was the point of feeling conflicted about her past? Jiang Mingwei felt bored. She sat for a while, then got up and left.
Mu Mingtang was more than happy for her to go back to where she came from. Jiang Mingwei walked out of the room. When the people outside saw Jiang Mingwei, they smiled and came up to talk to her.
Jiang Mingwei immediately put on a polite and generous smile. Halfway through, Jiang Mingwei turned around and saw Mu Mingtang leaning against the seat with her eyes closed. She seemed delicate and weak, unable to bear the burden.
The light shining in from the back window sprinkled gold fragments on her sleeves. Even the pattern on her knees seemed to be shining with a golden light. She sat in the hazy golden light, like a magnolia inlaid with gold. She was noble and incomparable. She was born to power and wealth. She was also like a begonia after the rain, bright and beautiful, unable to withstand a blow.
In the beginning, it was Mu Mingtang who resembled Jiang Mingwei.
In her previous life, Mu Mingtang was sent to the palace as Jiang Mingwei's substitute. This became an ill-fated relationship between the two of them. The two of them did not resemble each other, but they were born together, like shadows, and would not rest until one of them was dead. These two people were like light and shadow. One of them would always live in the shadow of the other. In her previous life, it was Jiang Mingwei, this "dead person", who always shrouded Mu Mingtang. In this life, Jiang Mingwei did not die. Her "white moonlight" halo was also shattered by her own hands.
It turned out that only the dead could be perfect forever, and could never fall into the mortal world.
In this life, Jiang Mingwei married Xie Xuanji as she wished. All of Xie Xuanji's good feelings, expectations, and fantasies about her also disappeared in the real life after marriage.
The one Xie Xuanji liked was always the "Jiang Mingwei" in his imagination.
On the contrary, Mu Mingtang, who broke away from her identity as the Second Young Miss of the Jiang Family, suddenly shone brightly. She revealed her true temperament and true hobbies, which made those people in her previous life not dare to provoke her. Xie Xuanji's gaze also repeatedly stopped on her body. Hsieh Hyun-chen, who should have died early, developed feelings for her. He loved her, controlled her, and relied on her.
If the substitute was too dazzling, it would in turn suppress the original owner. Now, many people would subconsciously attribute Mu Mingtang's hobbies to Jiang Mingwei. Jiang Mingwei unknowingly became a substitute.
Jiang Mingwei sighed heavily. She wanted to tell her own people that each had their own path. She and Mu Mingtang married into different forces. It was unknown who would be more powerful in the future. Before Jiang Mingwei finished thinking, there was a sudden commotion outside the hall.
The womenfolk were all shocked. When they reacted, they all asked what was going on. Even the empress, who was hosting the ceremony, sent her trusted palace maids out to investigate.
Soon, the panic spread from the court to the harem. Before the palace maids the empress sent out returned, the womenfolk had already received a terrifying piece of news.
An urgent military report came from the border. The Northern Tribes had launched a sneak attack on the border last night. Sui City had fallen.
On New Year's Eve of the 4th year of Sui He, the Northern Tribes had launched a lightning attack on the border. The peace treaty that had only been signed half a year ago between the Ye and Rong Kingdoms was completely torn apart.
When Mu Mingtang heard this news, she also stood up in shock. She and Hsieh Hyun-chen had talked about this a few days ago. Hsieh Hyun-chen predicted that the Northern Tribes would attack the border, but he thought that it would at least be after the snow melted in spring.
Unexpectedly, on New Year's Eve, they stretched out their claws.
After Mu Mingtang and the others recovered from their shock, they couldn't help but bitterly smile. The Yelv Yan really understood the Ye Dynasty, or rather, understood the emperor.
As expected, the court held a big banquet on New Year's Eve. Even the border could not help but celebrate and set off firecrackers. Everyone was feasting and eating, and the already fragile city defense was as weak as paper.
The patrols on the city walls were lax, and with the sound of firecrackers, the Northern Tribes launched a sneak attack on New Year's Eve and succeeded.
This news was like a clap of thunder. The womenfolk were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Even the empress' expression changed and she hurriedly left. Seeing the empress leave, the remaining womenfolk were in an uproar. The banquet hall that had just been filled with laughter was now filled with panic. Everyone was looking for people they knew to ask for information. There were even some madams who wanted to leave the palace immediately.
Jiang Mingwei also panicked. She knew that there would be war in Sui He five years ago. Or rather, after Sui He five years ago, the Ye Dynasty would be in chaos for a long time. But in her previous life, she was in another camp and did not experience the cruelty of war. Now that she was personally experiencing it, Jiang Mingwei panicked.
For the first time, she even questioned the choice she made in her life. Was it really right for her to leave the Northern Tribes and return to the Ye Dynasty?
In the panic, Jiang Mingwei saw Mu Mingtang quickly walk out. Jiang Mingwei suddenly had an idea and called out to Mu Mingtang, "Mu Mingtang, where are you going?"
At this critical moment, Jiang Mingwei did not call her "sister-in-law" anymore. Instead, he called out Mu Mingtang's name.
Mu Mingtang obviously wanted to go outside to find Hsieh Hyun-chen. At this time, only by Hsieh Hyun-chen's side would she be safe. Unexpectedly, Jiang Mingwei suddenly shouted. The people on both sides jumped in fright and looked towards Mu Mingtang.
Mu Mingtang suddenly became the center of attention. She could only stop and raise her eyebrows, "I'm just going outside to find the prince. What does Jin Wangfei think I'm going to do? "
Jiang Mingwei wanted to say something but stopped. She knew that in her previous life, the Ye Dynasty had been defeated and was forced to move the capital. Jiang Mingwei's first impression was the strongest, so she naturally thought that Mu Mingtang wanted to sneak away.
But this had not happened yet. The Northern Tribes had only invaded the border and was still very far from Tokyo. There were many military lines in the middle. Although everyone was shocked, no one felt that the Ye Dynasty was about to be destroyed.
Jiang Mingwei knew what was going on but could not say it. She moved her lips and could only cover it up, "I didn't misunderstand sister-in-law. I just saw sister-in-law walking out and was worried that sister-in-law would encounter an accident. That's why I reminded her. "
Reminded her? Mu Mingtang did not think so. Jiang Mingwei looked at her expression just now. She was certain that she would run away at the last minute and wanted nothing more than to stop her.
Mu Mingtang felt that Jiang Mingwei's behavior was very strange. Not only that, Jiang Mingwei had done many strange things in the past. For example, last year during the Lantern Festival, he avoided the fire and negotiated peace.
Or even earlier, Jiang Mingwei suddenly came back to disrupt the hairpin ceremony and changed his mind to marry Xie Xuanji. It did not make sense.
Could it be that Jiang Mingwei knew something?
Mu Mingtang glanced at Jiang Mingwei a few times and temporarily suppressed her strange behavior. Now was not the time to investigate Jiang Mingwei. The upcoming war was the most important.
Mu Mingtang continued to walk forward. At this moment, everyone in the hall was watching Mu Mingtang's movements. Mu Mingtang ignored them. When she reached the door, she suddenly saw a familiar figure walking down the steps.
"Your Highness!" Mu Mingtang could not help but shout. She did not care about anything else as she lifted her skirt and ran down the steps. Hsieh Hyun-chen heard the familiar voice and quickly walked towards her.
Mu Mingtang dragged her long sleeves. The hem of her clothes dragged a beautiful trail on the steps. Mu Mingtang flew to Hsieh Hyun-chen's side. Hsieh Hyun-chen reached out and firmly caught her: "I'm here."
After so many troubles, Mu Mingtang finally felt her heart settle down when she saw Hsieh Hyun-chen. Hsieh Hyun-chen did not avoid everyone's gaze. He hugged Mu Mingtang in front of everyone and said in a low voice: "It's okay, I'm here."
Mu Mingtang threw herself into Hsieh Hyun-chen's embrace and her eyes couldn't help becoming sore. She was surrounded by a familiar aura and her heart instantly calmed down. Only now did she remember that she was in the palace. Behind her was the Fu Qing Palace where the court ceremony was held. There were many women watching from the back.
Mu Mingtang's face turned red. She quickly moved out of Hsieh Hyun-chen's embrace and quickly stood still. Hsieh Hyun-chen's hand missed and his eyes slightly changed: "What are you hiding from?"
Mu Mingtang was embarrassed: "There are still people watching."
"Why do you care about them?" Hsieh Hyun-chen still went forward to hold Mu Mingtang's hand. His other hand naturally and thoughtfully covered Mu Mingtang's back, "The court ceremony is over, I'll send you back to the palace."
"What about you?"
"I'll come back later. I have to make sure that you're properly settled before I can be at ease."
Unknowingly, the entrance of Fu Qing Palace was surrounded by people. Jiang Mingwei and many women watched as Mu Mingtang threw herself at Hsieh Hyun-chen. Hsieh Hyun-chen caught her across the steps. He didn't even look at others and protected Mu Mingtang as they left. Looking at the direction they were heading, they should be leaving the palace.
With the chaos in the palace, Hsieh Hyun-chen was the only one who came to pick up his wife and personally escorted her home.
With Hsieh Hyun-chen around, no one dared to stop them and they smoothly got into the carriage. Because he was worried that Mu Mingtang would be scared, Hsieh Hyun-chen abandoned his horse and got into the carriage to accompany her.
Mu Mingtang indeed felt a lot more at ease. She even had the mind to care about the Northern Tribes: "Is the defeat at the border serious?"
"Suicheng has fallen. But the north is a strategic location. South of Suicheng, there are three lines of defense: Zhongshan, Hejian, and Taiyuan. As long as these three lines of defense are there, the capital is safe. But it's true that there won't be peace for a while. "
Mu Mingtang was more or less relieved that the capital wouldn't be threatened. Looking at Jiang Mingwei's expression just now, she thought that Dongjing was about to be lost.
Mu Mingtang asked: "How many soldiers did the Northern Tribes send?"
"I don't know the number of soldiers at the moment." Hsieh Hyun-chen suddenly thought of something and revealed a meaningful smile: "But I do know the person leading the troops. Speaking of which, it's an acquaintance. "
Mu Mingtang was shocked. She guessed it in a flash: "Yelv Yan?"
"That's right." Hsieh Hyun-chen nodded slightly. The smile on his lips seemed to be mocking yet not mocking: "He was the one who spied during the Spring Lantern Festival. He was the one who negotiated peace. He was also the one who launched the sneak attack at the border. The Yerong Peace Treaty was originally a joke. "
Mu Mingtang also sighed helplessly. Not long ago, the officials of the Ye Dynasty swore that they had a peace treaty. What they didn't know was that in the eyes of the Northern Tribes, this treaty was just a piece of paper from the start.
To think that the emperor and Prime Minister Song tried so hard to negotiate peace. They even almost agreed to buy coins for the sake of 'peace'. Now that they were slapped in the face, would they regret it?
Mu Mingtang didn't know whether the emperor regretted it or not, but it was obvious that the emperor had lost a lot of face.
The emperor lost face in front of the people and officials of the country. He was furious and decided to fight the Northern Tribes. Since the emperor was so wary of Hsieh Hyun-chen, he naturally wouldn't let Hsieh Hyun-chen have any military power. Instead, he sent his trusted aide Tong Shao to lead a hundred thousand soldiers to reinforce Taiyuan.
The Northern Tribes army split into two. The Eighth Prince Yelv Yan led the west. They launched a sneak attack on Sui City and then went through Taihang Mountains to attack Taiyuan. The Empress Dowager Xiao's youngest son, Yelu Ji, who was the Northern Tribes emperor's younger brother, attacked the east from Hejian and Zhongshan.
After the Sixteen Prefectures of the Serene Cloud Country was ceded, the central plains lost their barrier. Dongjing could only rely on Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian to defend it. These three cities concerned the safety of the capital and were highly valued. Their soldiers and generals were all experienced and weren't just for show. Taiyuan was under the most pressure. The Imperial Court sent many troops to reinforce it. Among them, the reinforcements for Taiyuan were the strongest, around a hundred thousand.
Yelu Yan only brought sixty thousand soldiers and horses. Defending the city was originally easier than attacking the city. The reinforcements also brought sufficient provisions and armaments. Everyone was full of confidence in this defensive battle.
No one expected that Tong Shao, who was a scholar and was afraid of death, would be so scared when he saw the Northern Tribes army. Military officials were one level lower than civil officials, and all the generals had to listen to Tong Shao's orders. In the end, not only did Tong Shao not organize a defense, he even led his troops to escape. The morale of the soldiers in Taiyuan City was in chaos. The Yelv Yan took advantage of the situation and easily broke through a few lines of defense.
With the commander running away, there were less than three thousand people left in Taiyuan City. However, there were sixty thousand Northern Tribes army outside the city. The defending soldiers of Taiyuan fought with their lives and resisted the Yelv Yan's attack, delaying the Northern Tribes army's southward advance.
Taiyuan was attacked for a long time, but they didn't expect it to be a distraction. While all the attention of the Imperial Court was focused on Taiyuan, Yelu Ji led the east troops around Zhongshan and Hejian to attack Zhending. After Zhending fell, the commanders of the cities along the way were all scholars, and no one dared to fight with them. Yelu Ji went straight to the Yellow River and approached the city of Dongjing.
When the news spread to the capital, the whole country was shocked. It was winter now, and the water in the Yellow River had already frozen. It was said that Yelu Ji had sent people to the center of the river to test the thickness of the ice. In a few days, they would cross the river.
Once they crossed the Yellow River, they would be less than ten miles away from Dongjing, and the siege of the capital would be right in front of them.
The Imperial Court was in an uproar. The capital had just sent a hundred thousand troops to reinforce Taiyuan, and there were less than a hundred thousand left. Dongjing was a natural stronghold, and it wasn't easy to defend. Once the capital fell, the emperor, the prime minister, and the many princes and princesses would all fall, and the Ye Dynasty would be destroyed.
The Emperor summoned the Prime Minister into the palace that very night. The officials were noisy and did not stop for even a moment. They were all scholars, and now they were all panicking. One of the old officials said, "Your majesty, the only thing we can do now is to move the capital before Yelu Ji crosses the river. If Tokyo was destroyed, it could still be rebuilt. As long as the green hills were there, there was no need to worry about firewood. As long as His Majesty was there, there was no need to worry about the day when Tokyo would be rebuilt. As long as we can survive this period of time, you will be safe. "
After the old official said that, everyone fell into silence. When the emperor heard that, his heart sank. Had they reached the point where they had to move the capital? Once the capital was moved in a hurry, the decades of accumulation of the imperial courts of the Central Plains and the prosperous foundation of Tokyo would be completely destroyed.
The emperor couldn't bear it and asked, "The people of Dongjing live in peace, and there are millions of them. I can't bear to abandon them. Other than moving the capital, is there no other way? "
After the emperor said that, there was a long silence. After a while, the old official said, "Other than moving the capital, there is another plan."
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