Chapter 43 Prince Xiao Su
Just when the Marquis of Ping'an and the Princess were in a frenzy over whether or not to go to the palace to face the Holy Spirit and find Princess Shou to ask for a statement, the chickens were flying. Within a secret room in the inner courtyard of the Ouyang family's residence, the first-ranked Minister, Ouyang Ming, was stunned, and a few drops of cold sweat seeped out from his forehead before the weather turned warm. His son, Ouyang Zhong, had roughly told himself about the plan he had told his mother earlier. Ouyang Ming's hands were now a little shaky. He took a sip of hot tea, wiped the sweat with his sleeve, and calmed the stirring apprehension in his heart. He looked at his son, still with disbelief in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
Ouyang Zhong's face was calm; he looked into his father Ouyang Ming's eyes and said: "Father, you do not have to worry too much; after all, we just do what a subject should do, to protect my country's foundation of a thousand years not be buried by the emperor. You have just seen in the courtroom that he even appointed an unknown man as his consort, and it is said that he is a Taoist who can practice some mystical arts. General Wei and I, a group of people at the border to sell our lives to serve the country, are not letting such a dim-witted and unethical person indulge in wine and sex every day, disregarding the imperial government, and letting the villain move the right and wrong to frame the loyal and good."
"But, is this considered ... plotting a rebellion ah! After all, you and General Wei want to embrace the crown prince and ascend to the throne as soon as possible. The old king neither feathered the West nor automatically abdicated. This - how does this make it ah?" Since he and his son are returning, Ouyang Ming always needs clarification. Although they no longer have non-stop drowsiness, they always feel their brain is not quite enough, wholly lost before the calculating old fox-like. In the words of Linghu Xian, it is to make the master "more obedient." When Ouyang Zhong found this out, his heart slandered Linghu Xian for a long time, but at the moment, his father had better cooperate with his plans.
Crown Prince Xiao Su's background and life experience can be described as unfortunate, tragic, and full of ups and downs. Xiao Su is not the first son nor the eldest son of the current state ruler, and his origin is quite criticized by those who oppose him, which is also his most immense heartache.
Xiao Zhan, the king of the country, survived until he was forty years old before he ascended to the throne as he wished, and after he became the king of the country, he did not have a good time to show off his ambition. He felt that since he had stayed up for so many years to become an emperor, and now that he had stayed up for so many years, why should he talk about his ambitions? Why not fully enjoy all that an emperor can get?
Therefore, for an extended period after Xiao Zhan ascended the throne, he was all about night and day, drinking and having fun. Sometimes, when he was drunk, he would just grab a concubine and pamper her. Xiao Su resulted from an ordinary palace maid whom the country's king accidentally favored. Xiao Su's birth mother was too lowly, and after giving birth to Xiao Su, the king authorized the queen to find a reason to execute her. Xiao Su, because it is a boy, only to avoid the fate of being given death at birth, was arranged to be passed on to a concubine to raise adults. Xiao Su always knew that his adoptive mother didn't like him, and from the time he was a child, he was often taunted by his adoptive mother and looked down upon by his other siblings. Xiao Su's early years had little company, and the Sister who took care of him was an old court lady who saw the wind and was salty to him as a royal son. Until the age of 5, all of the royal sons routinely go to the palace to study in the Imperial Study Room. He can meet with other brothers of similar age to get to know each other, but he has been permanently excluded from them. He grew to age ten before he met his father, Xiao Zhan, for the first time, but only from a distance.
Xiao Su was the seventh in line among the emperors, and initially, the position of the crown prince would not have come to his head in any way. However, the eldest prince died young, and the second prince and the third prince fought for the throne when the force was too much—in front of the fathers, they fought dead and injured.
The injured one was later executed. Xiao shows eleven sons; three have died, and there is a just born; in the middle of these are not heartless on the throne, is the ability is too poor, finally only the fifth prince and Xiao Su, this seventh prince, to fight for the seat. Unfortunately, the fifth prince is also wronged very much; initially, he had the most robust call, but on a trip to soothe the stragglers, the stragglers accidentally trampled to death. Xiao Zhan's grief and anger were so great that he directly ordered that group of stragglers to be chopped up and die in the wilderness at the right time. Xiao Su was elected by many courtiers, who recommended more and more changes, making the country's king, Xiao Zhan, quite a headache.
Xiao Zhan has not been very like this son; he is the only one by the courtesan pregnancy offspring, lineage is indeed not as noble as the other royal son, and the power to rely on is fragile. But Xiao Su, since childhood, to endure humiliation, whether it is schoolwork or martial arts, is quite hard work; the age of the weak crown is very much some of the literary and military strategy; in all, the royal son is indeed counted as a more colorful one. Xiao Zhan looked at his several sons, dead, dead, sick, sick, really no one can choose, had to go along with the thoughts of the courtiers, granted the seventh prince Xiao Su Prince position. Just in case one day he died, so that there is a person to take over the great unity.
Xiao Su, to someday be a man of the world and snow, has been in the dark, secretly meeting with courtiers, recruiting party members, and constantly consolidating their position and power. From the age of seventeen, when he seized the throne to fight for the throne, in just a few years, there were even more substantial dark-line supporters in addition to the previous few bright-line supporters. Inside and outside the court, from the Ouyang family, such as the official officials of the first rank, down to the vertical city merchants and countryside gentry, many people used Xiao Su. Only, lying in wait, enduring humiliation for many years of the crown prince, there is a significant weakness - headstrong and self-opinionated.
Prince Xiao Su, since childhood, has had very low self-esteem and always feels shorter than his siblings; born into the royal family and long in the palace; in fact, it is a crisis on all sides. He did not enjoy a day of peace and warmth, not to mention the warmth of affection between parents and brothers. Therefore, Xiao Su always had to wear a noble and proud appearance to cover up the extreme vulnerability and uneasiness in his heart. As a result, he only trusts his judgment and is incapable of listening to other people's opinions, even if they are well-intentioned reminders. His weakness on his way to seize the throne showed no flaws. Still, because of his decisiveness and firmness, he finally got what he wished for, sitting on the throne of the crown prince to enter the East Palace, but in the development of his destiny after the fatal ambush was buried.
Back then, the Ouyang family bet on general gambling, vigorously promoting the tenth prince, Xiao Su, as the crown prince, which is also selfish. The mother consort, who raised the seventh prince to adulthood, the Ouyang family, is considered a relative in a roundabout way; the same clan is a family member, and a family member can do good things. In Zhongming Country, only by continuously strengthening one's family's power and wealth could one ensure that one would not be suppressed and annexed by other family's power. At that time, to compete for the crown prince, the significant forces of the struggle, inside and outside the court, set off a lot of bloodshed, and finally spent a great deal of effort, finally put the seventh prince, Xiao Su, on the throne, Ouyang family is the name of the world is known as the crown prince party.
Ouyang Zhong told his father: "Father, haven't you always hoped that the Ouyang family could shine and accomplish something? As courtiers, are we assisting only a king? My son thought that now is the best time for us to serve our country and achieve great things.
The Dingling Clan has recently begun to move, and last night's attack was just a small test to see how strong we are. Besides, the Dingling tribe didn't send any real army in the previous test; they just used their great sorcerer, Yu Sun, to drive the spider army. Rumor has it that the Dingling clan is brave and good at fighting, especially on horseback, and is invincible, so our army doesn't have an advantage in this regard. I haven't yet faced off with the Dinglings face-to-face and have no idea of their strength, but instead, they already know more or less about us from the attack last night. The enemy is in the dark, and I am in the light; the future of the battle is not clear. According to the secret report of the scouts, the vanguard battalion of the Dingling Clan, which is 20 miles away from Bei Wang City, is just a vanguard to fight the first battle, and millions of people behind will be overwhelmingly pressing the border after the beginning of spring.
Now, the imperial army of Zhongming Kingdom and the defending army of each place add up to only more than one million; more troops are scattered in the hands of each family. If we, the Ouyang Clan, join forces with the Wei Clan and integrate the forces of the various clans at the behest of the Crown Prince. If the Dingling Clan fights with us, there might still be hope to fend off the Dingling Clan for a while or two. Otherwise, we are on the verge of losing the country! How can any egg be left intact when the nest is overturned? How can we still have a country and a family?
In the past few months at the border, my son has had to worry about the enemy attacking the city every day, and he also has to guard against spies from within the dynasty. Our every move is being watched, and we cannot focus on the enemy. Father, if we allow the current ruler to indulge in wine, meat, and sex and ignore the government and that eldest Princess to act arbitrarily, not distinguishing between right and wrong to instigate and suppress the courtiers at will, the generals will be chilled by their family members. The generals are chilled by their own families. How can this be a war?"
Ouyang Ming's trembling lips, he never thought he educated the "good son," actually persuaded him to mutiny against the king, assisting the crown prince in forcing the palace; this kind of thing even think about it before did not dare, now but in the planning plan ... Although Ouyang Ming's brain is slow, it is not stupid. Slow, but not yet stupid. He understands what his son said about the current state of war and the situation in the courtroom; today's king is too ridiculous, and he is already old. It was time to support a new ruler.
Ouyang Zhong and his father discussed the various steps to be deployed below, and then he got up to go to the County Lord's Mansion. On the one hand, he was to do all the superficial work, and on the other hand, he was to monitor this county princess to see what she, the eldest Princess, and the others were really up to.
Ouyang Zhong swaggered into the county head's mansion; the county head was not in the house. To save the county head, Ouyang Zhong saluted to ask for peace in this process; he was happy to be free, so he found the previously selected study and headed into the reading and writing. Ouyang Zhong thinks that last time, the Princess said very clearly that everyone's past can be mutually beneficial. Everyone needs help to eat and go. He was in the Sheriff's residence; no one dared to mess with him, a few quietly monitoring his eyes, where Ouyang Zhong pulled out to find names to drive out of the house.
The old housekeeper saluted Ouyang Zhong, "Mr. Emperor's side harnessed by the side of a team, what kind of meals and refreshments do you need now? The old enslaved person hurriedly urged people to prepare them for you."
Ouyang Zhong nodded and said a few things roughly. Then, he asked the old housekeeper with a hitch, "I'm asking you, have there been any strangers like gatekeepers coming to the mansion recently?"
The old housekeeper didn't dare deceive and reported back, "Back to the emperor's side harnessed by the emperor's side, there is indeed a light-flowering Taoist, but his status is very different now. I really didn't expect that this man could also be honored as a noble consort. It's really the first time since the founding of the Zhongming Kingdom."
Ouyang Zhong let out a cold laugh. It is such a faint and absurd thing; naturally, some faint kings do it. Then he asked, "I remember that the county princess's face before seemed not quite the same as it is now. Does this have anything to do with that Taoist person?"
Speaking of this, the old butler even opened up his words, "You don't know, Mr. Emperor's son-in-law, although this Taoist is displeasing to the eye, he does have some outstanding looks and skills. He claimed to be a cultivator; he and his master refined the immortal pills; daily consumption can help people glow, eternal youth, and immortality! Both the county princess and the eldest Princess had taken the immortal pills he offered for several months. Now, they had become as beautiful as heavenly fairies, even more beautiful and graceful. I'm afraid that in the entire Zhongming Kingdom, oh no, it should be heaven and earth; no one can match the two of her."
Ouyang Zhong's heart was clear: This Taoist and the so-called "Immortal Elixir" had something strange; he looked curious and asked, "Where is that Immortal Elixir now? There is a ready-made one in the mansion. Can you show it to me?"
The housekeeper thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Emperor's son-in-law, it's not that I won't bring it to you, but the vials containing the elixir are carried by both the Sheriff Master and the Princess and are not allowed to be touched by anyone, not even the Marquis of Ping'an who wants to take a look at it is not permitted to do so. Oh yes, look at this brain of mine; there is an empty bottle that has finished eating; maybe there can be one and a half pills left out. I'll take it to you right now!"
Ouyang Zhong took the inconspicuous vial and shook it was indeed empty; opening the lid and taking a whiff, a pungent stench hit him, making him unable to help but dry-heave for a few moments; how could something that stunk so much be an Immortal Pill? Even if it is an elixir, how can the Princess and the county princess take it? The old housekeeper is surprised to see the situation and takes the medicine bottle over their mouth because it smells. Nothing is wrong, and indeed, the Taoist said: the aroma of exotic flowers and grasses: there is no stench, ah?
Ouyang Zhong slightly frowned. This is how? Is his nose different from others? He didn't think much about his nose. He just felt that this matter was getting weirder and weirder.
Ouyang Zhong once secretly let people monitor the county master's residence, reportedly seeing that the so-called light Huo Taoist, that is, the current Imperial concubine Shou, in and out of the Princess's residence and the county master's residence, seems to be very close with them. But that light flower Taoist background has not been able to investigate, as if this person, out of thin air out of the similar, a little past traces are not.
"Changed out of thin air? Could it be that he is not human?" Ouyang Zhong pondered in his heart, so he hurriedly repaired a secret letter and made his beloved secret messenger hand over this secret letter and medicine bottle to General Wei of Beiwang City and Military Xuanmo. Ouyang Zhong instructed Xuan Mo in the letter to ask him to distinguish it; he was the only one with magic power.
Along with this letter, several letters were explicitly written for Linghu Xian. In fact, after coming back from the Border Northern Hope City, Ouyang Zhong missed Linghu Xian so much that he wrote letters to her when he missed her but never sent them out. For Linghu Xian, Ouyang Zhong is guilty; there is a more apprehensive mood; he is afraid that in his letter to Linghu Xian, Linghu Xian refuses to see or say something to make her even more angry and disappointed. This time, taking advantage of the main event, there is a good reason to tell her everything. No, how is it everything? Ouyang Zhong felt that these few letters and words could indicate a thousand words in his heart.
Ouyang Zhong took the bag containing the letter, was silent for a long time, and then handed it to the secret envoy, repeatedly urging that this thing must be handed over to the hands of General Wei Kongji. General Wei can help him with this favor in the middle of the sound words with Linghu Xian!
When Ouyang Zhong escorted his father, Ouyang Ming, back to the capital city of Zong City, Beiwang City was relatively quiet. The border war was basically at a standstill; the army of the Dingling Tribe did not have a significant attack; at most, there was some minor harassment, but General Wei Kongji resisted one by one.
Let General Wei have some headaches. This north look at the city of the barracks has long been mixed into the enemy spies. He hides very deep. General Wei and Ouyang Zhong have long been searching for this person, but they have yet to catch the handle, digging out the actual bodies of the spies.
In addition, General Wei has always felt very guilty about Linghu Xian; she is from a small girl family, and sacrifice is too great for Ouyang and Wei's family. Wei Kongji had mentioned to Linghu Xian many times that she had already died once for the Beiwang City and the Zhong Ming Dynasty, so she didn't need to stay here anymore; she was no longer a slave of the Ouyang family and no longer a soldier of the Zhong Ming Dynasty, she was completely free.
However, Linghu Xian still decided to stay, not that she had nowhere else to go. With a temperament like hers, she could live anywhere. Only Zhongming country is the homeland that gave birth to her. This Beiwang City has the people she needs to protect, and ... this is the place where she grew up in this life and realized the value of her own life, no longer a dependent product of others, and finally can stand between heaven and earth with her head held high, this is the place where she feels free. This place can be called "home". This is a place where she feels free, a place she can call "home."
Linghu Xian now uses the name "Hu Cangcang" for external enrollment, and there is no more "Linghu Xian" in the army. Therefore, it was inconvenient for her to continue living in the barracks. She and Xuan Mo moved to the ordinary people's living area outside the barracks, and Wei Kongji gave them a small courtyard with two straw rooms, barely enough for them to settle down and live. She also finally changed her male attire into a woman's attire.
This day, the weather is good, the sun is just right, and the suitable temperature. After the beginning of spring, many places showed signs of spring and gave people a vibrant new atmosphere. Linghu Xian sat alone in the small courtyard, basking in the sun. She was already less weak, and her face was also quite rosy. The sunshine warmed her, and she wrapped in a thick wool felt, squinting, and gradually fell asleep; in her dream, she dreamed of the most important person in her heart.