The wine was the finest Jade Yaochun, and the dishes were the imperial meals prepared by the first royal chef of the palace.
The forty-nine princes and grandsons of Dakang were seated one after another.
I was the thirteenth from the left, which happened to be the right place.
In a connecting position, next to my left hand is Long Qizheng, the eldest grandson of the emperor.
He is thirty-nine years old this year, and his temples are slightly gray.
Next to my right hand is my twenty-fourth emperor brother Long Yinxiang.
He is eighteen years old this year and has just been named King An by the Holy Emperor of Dakang, my father, Emperor Xinde.
King Qin Long Yinli was sitting in the middle.
He raised his wine glass and said loudly: "Brothers and nephews, today is the Lantern Festival.
Under the rule of my father, my country is peaceful and the people are peaceful, singing and dancing are peaceful, and everything is peaceful."
Peaceful scene, let us wish our father happiness and longevity, and his early unification of the country."
There was a cheer in Prince Qin’s Mansion, and everyone seemed extremely excited.
I saw hope in their eyes.
This scene reminded me of last year, when we were drinking at Prince Zhong Long Yinxue’s place, and Prince Zhong’s voice Also like King Qin He is as heroic today as he is full of hope.
At the age of fifty-two, he finally overcame three royal brothers and became the eldest among the princes.
However, his body has not been able to survive until now.
Last summer, He died of a sudden stroke.
If I remember correctly, King Qin is already forty-nine years old this year, which is exactly the same as the number of people here today.
He has always been in good health.
It is easy for him to bend a bow, shoot a vulture, and fight a lion with his bare hands.
Maybe he is really Can wait until the day of succession.
"Yinkong, why don't you drink?"
King Qin noticed that I was in a daze.
Only then did I return to reality: "Brother Five Emperors, I don't know how to drink."
King Mu Long Yinshang, who was sitting next to King Qin, laughed loudly: "You are still called Brother Five Emperors, but we will soon change our name to Prince."
The people around him echoed in unison.
King Qin couldn't help but show a proud look on his face.
His chin was raised slightly, and he really looked like a prince: "Yinkong, how old are you this year?"
"Sixteen years old" I replied humbly.
King Mu smiled again and said: "When I was sixteen years old and your age, I could drink three liters of wine, and even after drinking, I could control five women."
Hearing this, the other princes and grandsons burst into ambiguous laughter.
When talking about this topic, the atmosphere between us easily became harmonious.
Prince An took the initiative to defend me and said: "Brothers, Yin Kong is still young.
Besides, my father once said that we are not allowed to drink alcohol before we are eighteen years old.
We should let him drink tea."
Everyone remembers these words from the father, but the original words should be: No drinking is allowed before becoming king.
According to the laws of Dakang, a prince has the right to be crowned king only when he is eighteen years old, so Prince An said this.
But I know better than anyone else that it will be difficult for me to become a king one day.
My mother, Concubine Ping, was only one step away from ascending to the position of queen, but then she was suddenly thrown into the cold palace and died in depression.
I remember that I was only eight years old the year she died, and eight years passed in the blink of an eye.
I don't know the real cause of my mother's death, and my father will naturally not tell me.
According to common sense, she should be a victim of the harem struggle.
After my mother died, I grew up in the cold palace.
During the eight long years, the only people who accompanied me were my mother's maid Yanping and the eunuch Yi An.
In these eight years, I saw my father three times, always at sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. , I never had the chance to talk to him.
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Maybe he didn’t even remember that there was a son like me.
The Lantern Festival every year is a day when I can get together with other princes.
As long as no one of us succeeds to the throne, this pattern will continue.
The episode just ended very quickly, and everyone immediately forgot about my existence, and they all drank together.
I was the only one who slowly tasted the cold tea.
King Qin lightly clapped his hands, and the sound of silk and bamboo sounded leisurely in the hall.
A group of nearly a hundred beautiful singing and dancing girls with swallowtail-shaped hair hanging down and wearing various long gowns made of translucent light material danced into the hall gracefully, singing and dancing, making various graceful gestures and teaching people God takes it.
I couldn't help but immerse myself in this ocean of joy.
The sound of the music gradually weakened, and the hundreds of graceful beauties gathered in the middle, and a soul-stirring flute sound rose softly.
The long sleeves of the girls danced, and countless delicate petals flew gently between the sky and the earth, refreshing the heart.
The floral fragrance is intoxicating.
Those hundreds of beauties looked like blooming flower buds, spreading around.
In the rain of flowers, a beautiful girl in white appeared like an orchid in the empty valley.
With her light, graceful and erratic dance, her wide sleeves opened.
Covering it up, it brings out her beautiful appearance in all kinds of manners.
Everyone looked at her graceful dance in fascination, almost forgetting to breathe.
The girl's beautiful eyes were looking forward to it, and everyone present was heart-beating, and they all thought that she was looking at them.
At this time, the sound of the flute suddenly became more urgent, and the girl used the toe of her right foot as the axis.
Gently stretch your long sleeves, and your delicate body will rotate, faster and faster.
Suddenly it flew up from the ground.
Hundreds of beauties gathered in a circle, waving their jade hands, dozens of blue silk ribbons fluttered out, and blue waves seemed to rise in the hall.
The girl flew up to the ribbon, her slender feet were light, her clothes were fluttering, Like a fairy from Lingbo.
There were applause and applause in the hall, and the voices of surprise and admiration were endless.
The singers and dancers left the stage one by one amidst the admiration of everyone.
King Qin couldn't help but praise: "This dance can only be seen in the sky, and it is rare to hear it in the world."
King Mu laughed twice and stood up unsteadily: "In this situation, my brother is very poetic.
I am a common man."
But I felt the urge to pee so much that I went to pee."
Everyone burst into laughter when they saw his naivety.
King Mu stumbled to my table.
His feet suddenly gave way, and he lost his balance and landed on my wine table.
The food and wine on my table were all messed up.
Because of that, I Unable to dodge, his body was wet with wine and vegetable soup.
King Qin seemed to be drunk too, and he took the lead and laughed: "One of you is drunk, and the other is not drunk, so you should go back first."
Just as I had this intention, I hurriedly got up and left.
I don’t know when it began to snow.
King Mu staggered in front of me, chasing the singing and dancing girl in front of me.
The girl in white who was leading the dance seemed to have a premonition of something and hurriedly quickened her pace.
King Mu quickly chased after him and put his foot on the girl's white dress.
The girl let out a sweet cry and almost fell down.
When the other dancers saw the scene in front of them, they were so frightened that they fled away one by one, and no one paid any attention to her.
King Mu laughed loudly and reached out to grab the girl's sleeve: "My dear, your ancestors have accumulated good deeds, and I have taken a liking to you."
The girl was so frightened that her face turned pale: "My lord, please let me go."
King Mu grabbed her sleeves and pulled her hard into his arms.
When the girl struggled to break free, the sleeves were torn off by King Mu, revealing a section of arm that could bully the frost and snow.
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King Mu suddenly pulled away, and his body couldn't help but stumble backwards.
He took one step and sat down on the ground.
The girl took the opportunity to escape forward.
I stepped forward and helped King Mu up: "Brother, you are drunk, why don't I take you back."
King Mu pushed me away roughly: "Who do you think you are?
An unknown bastard dares to meddle in my business?"
Blood immediately rushed to my brain.
After all, he and I were born from the same father, and he actually cursed me with such vicious words.
I bit my lower lip hard and watched this hateful bastard staggering forward.
The girl was not familiar with the terrain of Prince Qin's Mansion.
She was so frightened that she lost her way in the back garden.
In addition, she heard King Mu laughing wildly behind her, which made her even more frightened.
She tripped, twisted her ankle, and fell onto the snow.
On the ground, it was already in unbearable pain to get up from the ground, and I was unable to stand up at all.
King Mu walked towards her with a lewd smile: "Little darling, it seems that you want to have a fight with me on the snow."
The girl struggled to move back, her beautiful eyes filled with tears.
King Mu suddenly rushed towards the girl's delicate body, pressing her fat body downwards.
The girl cried out and struggled to free herself.
King Mu tore the girl's skirt like an animal.
He was so full of lust that he didn't even notice that I quietly appeared behind him.
I raised a branch as thick as my wrist with both hands and hit the back of King Mu's head hard.
King Mu's body twitched, and then he fell weakly on the girl's body.
With my help, the girl pushed away King Mu's fat body.
Her long skirt was torn in many places, revealing her flawless skin.
I took off my long cloak and put it on her body.
It was quiet in the garden and no one else was there, so I felt a little relieved.
I hugged King Mu's upper body and dragged him towards the well in the southeast corner.
The girl looked at me in confusion.
I whispered: "Hurry up and help me, or we will both die" The girl bit her lower lip hard and finally made a decision.
She helped me drag King Mu's body to the well.
It was obvious that she was very scared, and her delicate body was trembling uncontrollably.
I picked up King Mu's body with all my strength and stuffed his body into the well.
When I heard the sound of water splashing, I breathed a long sigh of relief.
Strangely enough, after I killed King Mu, I didn't feel anything. of fear.
The girl's pretty face turned pale, and she might faint at any time.
I hugged her delicate body and gave her invisible support: "Remember, nothing happened."
My voice was unusual.
Cold, the girl nodded tremblingly, I patted her shoulder gently: "Go back."
"But everyone else knows that King Mu is chasing me," the girl reminded me.
I nodded: "I'll take you away" "Who is it?"
Someone shouted loudly from the direction of the garden gate, and our bodies both shook at the same time.
A servant carrying a lantern came towards us.
He was Zhongfu, the steward of King Qin.
When he saw clearly that it was me and her hugging each other, he couldn't help but show an ambiguous smile.
He must have thought that the youngest prince was actually stealing love and jade behind the backs of the other princes.
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"Has Your Highness the Prince seen King Mu?"
Zhongfu made a special trip to see King Mu.
I quickly calmed down and said, "He went to the toilet."
"It's strange that I didn't find him there."
Zhongfu turned around and was about to leave.
I suddenly held my stomach and said, "Oh, it hurts me to death."
Zhongfu came to me in a hurry: "Prince, what's the matter with you?
I'll call the doctor."
"Forget it, you should carry me over there."
I pretended to be extremely painful.
Zhongfu turned around and squatted down.
I punched him hard on the side of the neck.
Zhongfu fainted on the snow without saying a word.
It was much easier to pick up Zhongfu than King Mu.
I asked the girl to take off Zhongfu's shoes and coat, and then threw him into the well.
The girl's teeth trembled when she saw me killing two people in a row.
I made sure that no one was around anymore, so I calmly let the girl put on Zhongfu's clothes and shoes, and took her out of the garden, carefully erasing our footprints as we walked.
When we came to the corner corridor outside the garden, the flow of people gradually increased.
The girl deliberately bent down and hid beside me.
Fortunately, no one paid attention to her appearance in the darkness.
When I came to the horse gallery, I saw the group of singers and dancers boarding the carriage.
They belonged to the palace band and were specially invited by King Qin to entertain us this time.
After they left one by one, I took the girl to my carriage.
This carriage was the shabbiest of all the carriages.
The exterior paint had peeled off in many places, revealing the old wooden shafts and the cotton curtains on the carriage.
It also changed from the original bright yellow to a dull grayish brown.
Yi An sat at the front of the car and took a nap with his hands wrapped in his cotton-padded jacket.
I coughed slightly and he hurriedly opened his eyes: "Your Highness."
He immediately noticed the girl next to me, his eyes full of surprise.
"Leave here right now."
I took the girl's cold little hand and came to the car.
Yi An raised a whip in the air, and two old horses pulled the old carriage on the snow.
No one would have thought that the youngest son of Emperor Xinde was sitting in this carriage.
This is what I can enjoy.
The highest treatment.
The car was left by my mother back then.
Even though the years have passed, you can still see the prosperity of the year from the interior.
This car was originally supposed to be a four-wheel drive, but the chief internal officer assigned Yi An only these two old horses.
It was naturally very difficult to pull a four-wheel drive with the strength of the old horses.
The girl obviously hadn't fully recovered from the shock just now, so I gave her a kind smile: "I don't know your name yet."
When she met my eyes, she hurriedly lowered her head: "I'm collecting snow.
Thank you, Prince, for saving me."
I nodded lightly: "I don't remember saving you."
She immediately heard what I meant, and her pale lips trembled because of fear, which made her look even more attractive, and made people feel protective and loving.
I lifted up the car curtain, and saw that the night was deep, the snow was falling, and the jade was falling in the calm wind.
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Both sides of the road were filled with people walking at night with lights on, mixed with the cries of various vendors.
It was really lively, and the whole capital was filled with a peaceful scene. , I, who live in a deep palace, have not seen such a scene for a long time.
There were so many people ahead that the carriage could no longer move.
Yi An said in front of the carriage: "Your Highness, would you like to take a detour through Fusheng Lane?"
I shook my head: "Yi An, drive around Fusheng Lane and wait for me at the end of the street.
I'll take the opportunity to visit the lantern market."
Yi An agreed and reined in the horse, and I held Caixue's little hand and stepped out of the car one after another.
Passers-by walked through the snow with lanterns in hand, and from a distance the entire long street looked like a flowing Milky Way.
Caixue and I walked side by side.
Perhaps the peaceful atmosphere around her infected Caixue, and her mood slowly relaxed.
The lanterns on the roadside were filled with all kinds of lantern riddles.
I stopped to look at them with great interest, and saw a lotus lantern with a seven-character Tang poem called "Li Sao Guai" written on it.
Two young men with scholarly looks were thinking hard.
I smiled calmly and said, "It seems that I have been frustrated in my life."
An old man in yellow clothes suddenly turned around under the lamp.
He stared at me and said: "Why did the young master think of Xiangshan layman's pipa performance to solve this mystery?"
I said loudly: "Predecessors have said that the answer is the correct form of the lantern riddle.
This riddle is obviously taken from the historical records.
It refers to Qu Yuan, the official of Chu State, who was repeatedly defeated by Qin in Chu State.
King Huai His views were uncertain, and the pro-Qin faction within Chu State was on the rise, and his anti-Qin stance was not accepted.
Na, I heard it when I was pregnant with the king, and I sighed, "I am so sad and thoughtful that I compose a lisao."
The Xiangshan layman's pipa performance is about the pipa girl expressing her lack of ambition through the music of "the strings cover up the sound and thoughts."
His life experience is somewhat similar to Qu Ping’s situation back then.”
The old man praised: "Young Master is indeed extraordinary."
He picked the lotus lantern with his own hands and gave it to Cai Xue.
He smiled and said: "Giving the lantern to a beautiful woman is an elegant thing."
The old man had extraordinary eyesight and could already see it.
Caixue is a woman disguised as a man.
Caixue's pretty face was slightly red, and she looked even more delicate and charming.
The old man said: "Young Master is so outstanding at solving problems, I wonder if you are interested in couplets?"
I smiled and said, "Old sir, please speak."
The old man said: "On the first day of this year, I accidentally got a couplet.
I have been thinking about it for a long time, but I have not been able to write it neatly.
I would like to ask you for some advice."
The old man straightened his back and chanted loudly: "Five hundred miles away from the Tianchi Lake, running towards the bottom of my eyes.
With my lapel on the bank, I feel joy in the boundless sky.
Look: the divine horse in the east; the spiritual instrument in the west; the winding path in the north; the plains in the south. .Expert Yunshi, you might as well choose to come to Luozhou, where the wind and mist will comb your hair, and the sky and reeds will be dotted with green feathers and red clouds.
You will be surrounded by fragrant rice; Willows in spring."
I frowned slightly.
I didn’t expect that in this bustling city, this seemingly ordinary old man could be so talented and knowledgeable.
I stomped back and forth a few steps.
The first couplet was ninety-five words long.
It was so majestic and heroic.
How could they fight so neatly?
Caixue said softly: "The old gentleman is indeed very knowledgeable.
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My young master once taught some slaves some fighting techniques.
Can the little girl give it a try for the young master?"
The old man smiled and said: "There is a saying that women should not be inferior to men.
Miss, there is no harm in trying."
I looked at the way the bamboo was collected from the snow, and my heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that Cai Xue was so smart that he had outstanding talent and learning?
Caixue said softly: "Thousands of years of past events are in my heart.
I drink wine and sigh, where are the heroes?
Think: Han Dynasty learned building boats; Tang Dynasty marked iron pillars; Song Dynasty wielded jade axes; Yuan crossed leather bags.
Great heroes and great achievements, wasted time.
After all the effort of moving the mountain, all the bead curtains and pillars can't catch up with the evening rain and the morning clouds, and the ruins of the monuments are all left to fall in the mist: a few pestles and sparse bells, half a river of fishing fire, two rows of autumn wild geese, and a pillow of clear frost. ” As soon as this couplet came out, I was dumbfounded.
The old man was not as surprised as I was.
After a long time, he fell to the ground and said, "The young lady's amazing talent makes me ashamed."
In fact, he was not the only one who should be ashamed.
Caixue hurriedly picked up the old man and said: "The old man has killed the servant.
I was just talking casually about how this amazing talent can come from.
Please get up quickly, old man."
The movement on our side attracted many passers-by's glances.
The old man simply abandoned the lamp stall and took my arm: "Sir, please take a moment to talk with me."
I was also full of curiosity about this old man, and Caixue and I followed him to the bridge in front.
There is a calligraphy stall at the corner of the bridge.
Because it is behind the lamp stall, it is not easy to be seen.
In addition, it is cold and windy by the river, so no one patronizes it.
A typist in tattered robes was lying on the stall, seemingly asleep.
The old man patted him on the shoulder and said excitedly: "Mr.
Cao, the first couplet has been matched."
The calligrapher stretched his waist and looked at me lazily with his narrow eyes: "What's so strange about matching up?"
The old man looked at me with some embarrassment and explained apologetically: "My husband has a weird temper.
Young Master must not be angry."
The calligrapher's eyes suddenly became very bright when he looked at me: "Young master, you are the assistant and the right bi, this is obviously the emperor's order."
My heart was shaken, and the resentment I had towards him suddenly disappeared.
The old man moved a wooden stool and I sat down opposite the calligrapher.
"May I ask your name?"
The calligrapher smiled and said: "My surname is Cao Mingrui, and I have wasted three of my forty years."
His eyes were fixed on my face from beginning to end, and after a long time he sighed: "I cannot judge the true nature of the young master."
I smiled and said, "If Mr.
Cao has anything to say, just say it clearly."
Cao Rui said: "I'll send you a message."
He stretched out his dry fingers, dipped them in ink, and wrote a large word "prison" on the paper.
I looked at him puzzled.
Cao Rui said: "Master, please keep this word carefully.
It will be useful in the future."
I folded the paper carefully and put it in my arms.
Cao Rui then looked at Caixue: "This girl's eyes were full of panic.
It was obvious that she had just experienced something shocking."
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Caixue let out a soft sigh, and immediately realized her loss of composure, lowering her head.
The old man said: "Mr.
Cao, it was this young lady who confronted me just now."
Cao Rui nodded: "It seems that Mr.
Cao sometimes makes mistakes."
He took out an ancient painting from under the calligraphy booth: " Mr.
Cao was once entrusted by a friend to give this painting to someone who can guess this pair.
If you are destined, since this girl has written a couplet, this painting should be yours."
He handed the ancient painting into Caixue's hands, turned around and drifted away with the old man, never even looking at the calligraphy booth again.
Caixue and I came to the end of the street, where Yi An had been waiting for a long time.
When we boarded the carriage again, Caixue's mood had calmed down a lot.
I said to Yi An: "Go to Dongtiao Street" Yi An was stunned and immediately asked: "Does His Highness want to find Yanping?"
"Yes" my answer was simple and clear.
Yanping left the palace on the 13th day of the first lunar month, and I allowed her a seven-day holiday to visit her mother.
One of the main reasons why I chose to find Yanping was that I didn’t know how to place Caixue.
When I killed King Mu, I didn't expect that things would become so complicated.
Killing King Mu was purely an accident.
If he hadn't cursed me viciously, it would not have aroused my murderous intention.
I would not risk it for a singing and dancing girl.
Such a big risk, although I have slowly begun to feel that snow mining is unusual.
The reason why I killed Zhongfu was because he saw me and Caixue standing by the well.
As long as King Mu's body is found, it will be easy for people to think that I am the real culprit who killed King Mu, so I have no choice. .
In fact, I even thought of killing Caixue as well, but for some unknown reason, I finally gave up.
Caixue was holding the ancient painting, her delicate body still shivering.
This time it was because of the cold, so I took off my cloak and put it on her shoulders.
Caixue lowered her head, but did not refuse.
"Xiao Anzi, why are you here?"
Aunt Yanping's voice sounded outside.
Yi An smiled and replied: "It's not just me, the little master is here too."
Yanping hurriedly said respectfully outside the car: "This servant didn't know His Highness the Prince was coming.
Please forgive me for being rude."
A faint smile appeared on the corner of my lips.
They were the only two people in the entire palace who respected me so much.
Caixue and I got off the car and walked into the ancient courtyard of Yanping.
Yanping was once an official, but she was punished and exiled because her ancestors offended the court.
It was not until she entered the palace that she became a maid, and my mother helped her redeem her.
Return to this old house and arrange for her mother to live here.
Yanping was also shocked when she saw Caixue.
I whispered: "She is the slave I just sold.
Let her live here temporarily."
Since I had spoken, Yanping naturally did not dare to ask any more questions.
She took Caixue's delicate hand and led her into the inner hall.
Yi An and I were warming up by the fire in the living room for the time being.
When Caixue came to us, she had already changed into a daughter's costume, standing tall and charming.
Yanping went to the kitchen with Yi An on the pretext of preparing supper for me, leaving Caixue and I alone.
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Caixue had guessed my identity and acted extremely respectful in front of me.
"Cai Xue, do you have any relatives in this capital?"
Caixue shook her head and said softly: "I only have one brother, who has been separated for many years during the war."
I nodded.
The seemingly peaceful country of Dakang was not at peace.
There were constant wars with the seven surrounding countries.
Girls like Caixue could be seen everywhere.
"You stay here for a while first.
After the situation calms down, I will send someone to take you away from Kangdu."
Caixue nodded gratefully.
She is such a weak woman, and in this situation, she has completely regarded me as her support.
I didn't stay at Yanping's house for supper.
The palace has its own rules.
I had to rush back to the palace before midnight.
If I wanted to stay outside freely, I might have to wait until two years later.
When leaving, Caixue came to the car holding the neatly folded cloak for me.
I took it with a smile, but unexpectedly saw the scroll hidden in the cloak.
It turned out that Caixue had given me the ancient painting.
Gave it to me, I nodded to her and slowly lowered the car curtain.
I live in Qingyue Palace, which is often called the Cold Palace.
While inheriting my mother's bloodline, I also inherited this deserted palace.
Qingyue Palace is located in the northwest corner of the imperial city.
Side by side are Shude Palace and Yizheng Palace.
When going to my residence, I will first pass through the road between Shude Palace and Yizheng Palace.
After closing the car curtain, this silent and closed space reminded me of King Mu who I had just killed.
There was no fear in my heart.
If I had to choose again, I would still kill him without hesitation.
He, I will not allow anyone to insult my mother, no matter who he is Suddenly there was a cry from the front.
Yi An suddenly pulled the reins, stopped the carriage, and said with some panic: "Little master, in front of you is the emperor's chariot."
I hurriedly arranged my clothes and got out of the car.
In front of Shude Palace, dozens of young eunuchs and maids stood in two rows, with my father's chariot in the middle.
Yi An pulled the carriage aside, and I knelt down on the snow beside me, waiting for my father's chariot to pass by.
"Your Majesty, I really didn't mean it."
The one who cried was Concubine Zhen.
She was the most favored concubine by the emperor last year.
Among all the concubines, her beauty was the most outstanding.
She had no heirs after entering the palace.
Later, because she secretly asked a witch doctor to do something, she was Other concubines informed.
His father thought she was trying to harm him, so he threw her into the cold palace in anger.
Today, he probably remembered his old relationship and came here to visit her, but he didn't know what Concubine Zhen did to make him angry again.
Concubine Zhen cried and threw herself on the snow.
My father didn't even look at her and strode towards me
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