Wei Shu

Chapter 59
The smoke and dust raised by the horseshoes had gradually dissipated.

Deep and shallow haze outlines the majestic outline of Daliang Palace.Downstairs, a woman with loose white hair was holding a longbow, standing alone in front of the palace gate, her black crown robe fluttering in the strong wind.

The long white marble steps are like rolling white waves, spreading from the woman's feet all the way forward, and at the end of the tide, there are black rebels crowded Chengtiantai.

Half of them have never worn armor, and they have all kinds of weapons in their hands. Except for the hundreds of elite cavalry under the commander-in-chief, the rest are common people who can be seen at a glance. There are still dishes, obviously refugees who were still living in famine not long ago.

This is a group of rabble, and the shouts and cries from behind the palace wall are the best proof.

However, it was such a so-called "rebel army" composed of refugees, farmers, small traders, and common people that defeated the Daliang National Guard Army, which was known as "30 cavalry sweeping the eight wastelands" and spent tens of thousands of dollars every year.

Since the formation of troops in the northwest frontier, the rebel army has been in full swing, and it took less than half a year to enter the imperial city.

The Forbidden Army of the imperial city has already retreated, the generals are missing, the palace servants and servants dispersed in a rush, and the magnificent and magnificent palace is burning with thick smoke.

Am I...really wrong?
Wei Shu's hand holding the bow trembled slightly, and her flying white hair sometimes blocked her sight.

In a split second, more than forty years of life pass by like a long tide, unexpectedly passing by.

She was originally the eldest daughter of King Wei. She was young and intelligent. She could read and write at the age of one, was able to read at the age of five, drew a bow at the age of seven, and competed with her father in the Central Plains at the age of 15.

At that time, the country was out of order, the princes had long since disappeared, the Central Plains had been divided by seven kingdoms, and the former Marquis of Wei had long proclaimed himself king.By the time of Wei Shu's father, the war had lasted for more than two hundred years, the countries were constantly fighting, and the world was full of heroes, and everyone wanted to become the overlord of the country.

King Wei, who is in his prime, also has this ambition.

However, although there are many uncles and brothers in the Wei clan, besides Wei Shu, the only child born to the father and king is his younger brother who is less than a month old.

For the value of employing people, the young Wei Shu shouldered the heavy responsibility of being in charge of the army's supplies and supplies.

She was the only one whom King Wei could trust to hand over his back.Not only do they have the same blood, but they are close relatives who are both prosperous and hurt.

Four years have passed by Wei Shu in the days of the imminent conquest, and many things that are inhumane have all been dissipated in the boundless flames of war and the dust of the sky.

At the age of 19, the state of Wei was fighting with the state of Chu, and the state of Wei was weak, and its decline began to show.

In that year, Wei Shu put down her bow and arrows, picked up her embroidery needles, and prepared her own wedding dress. As the most beloved princess of Wei State, she took a city of Wei State as a dowry gift, holding a letter of credence, Take the huagai, marry into Liang Guo, and become Liang Wang's second queen.

Since then, Liang and Wei formed an alliance and relied on each other to survive the most difficult period for each other.

Three years later, without any warning, King Liang suddenly turned his back on him and launched a large-scale attack on Wei. At that time, King Wei was seriously ill, his youngest son was weak, and all the officials had their own thoughts.But in just a few days, the Kingdom of Wei was destroyed, and the royal family of the Wei family was slaughtered.

On the eve of the accident, Wei Shu, who was secretly imprisoned in the palace, escaped with the desperate help of her cronies, but her two children and the people in the palace all died in a sudden fire.

She will never forget that night.

The soaring flames of Dongming Palace reflected most of the sky red, and her whole body seemed to be burned to ashes by the flames.

She hurts, she regrets, she hates.

But she never cried.

The tarsal cone heart fire boiled her heart and scorched her soul, making her never shed a single tear for the rest of her life.

King Liang buried three empress Wei's mother and son who "died in the fire", and the remains in the royal tomb were surrounded by jewels and treasures, enjoying the glory after death.

Queen Wei is indeed dead.

The one who survived was Wei Guo's widow.

The road to escape was full of hardships and hardships, and the king of Liang sent hundreds of private guards to pursue Wei Shu and his party endlessly.

What the monarch is worried about is not Wei Shu, the ex-queen who died in the country, but what he is worried about is that Wei Shu did not flee alone.

Since one can escape, it may not be impossible to escape a few more, for example... those two children with Wei Shi's blood?

It is true that there are indeed two children's remains in the ruins of Dongming Hall, but who can guarantee that the burnt corpses beyond recognition are the true master?

Even if this possibility is so slight that it can be completely ignored, King Liang is not at ease.

He must see the fugitive die in front of him before he can sleep peacefully.

Wei Shu has been married to him for several years, so she has guessed his mind.

That being the case, so what if this good husband wishes?
So, one night not long after fleeing, Wei Shu dressed in plain makeup and lured her bodyguard, the centurion, to be her guest of honor.

The young and handsome centurion has been by Wei Shu's side since she got married, and she knows that he has been secretly in love with her.

Nine months later, Wei Shu gave birth to a son on the way to escape. It was a boy with features like hers.Because of the constant fear during pregnancy, the child was born weak, timid and kind-hearted.Whenever she looked at him, Wei Shu always thought of the two poor children who died in the fire, and often fantasized that they were still alive, laughing and playing by her side.

Time passed slowly in this chase and escape, and one day two years later, the pursuers suddenly disappeared.Wei Shu later found out that half a month ago, King Liang was almost killed by the assassins of Wu State.

As the territory of Liang State continued to expand, more and more countries were annexed by the King of Liang. Something happened, and the whole capital was in turmoil.

In order to protect his own safety, King Liang had to call back his most loyal private guard to replace the previous personal guard, and the pursuit of Wei Shu was put on hold.

Obviously, between the grand plan of unifying the Central Plains and the speculative speculation, he chose the former.

Wei Shu deeply thought it was a wise move.After all, there were not many people available around her at that time, and the young centurion also died in a siege.

She settled down in a small city in the Northland.

When the wind calmed down a little bit, she dispatched the remaining staff to trace back along the escape route and eliminate the insiders one by one.

From then on, the Jiao'er under her knees was a child who had reached four years old, and was of the blood of King Liang, but she was born thinner, so she couldn't be seen much.

Wei Shu learned to wait.

Quietly, patiently, and for a long time, like a cicada lurking in the ground, just waiting for the daylight to appear, it will neigh for the whole season.

At the age of 28, King Liang finally annexed the last country and completed his great cause of unification.

In the autumn of that year, the first emperor of all ages wrote a letter to heaven and earth on the top of Mount Tai, and proclaimed himself Emperor Yuan, showing his ambition to be the only one in the world throughout the ages.

Unfortunately, God is stingy with giving.

The talented and bold Emperor Liang Yuan died in an assassination less than half a year after he ascended the throne.

At that time, Wang Jia was still outside Beijing, and the accompanying ministers did not dare to speak out. They only said that Emperor Yuan was seriously injured, and the news of the emperor's death was not announced until he returned to Beijing to stabilize the court.

After that, during the month-long national mourning period, the ministers who supported the eldest son of the emperor and the ministers who supported the second son of the emperor were in a stalemate, and no one could persuade the other.

Emperor Liang Yuan had two sons under his knees, and the eldest son of the emperor was born of the first queen.Because of being shocked by the wind when he was young, this prince suffered from dementia. He usually looks like ordinary people, but when he gets sick, he looks like a madman, and he doesn't even recognize people;

The second son of the emperor was the son of the Yuan Emperor's favorite concubine. He was in good health, but he had a surly temper, cruel and prone to murder.

Two evils are in power, but there is nothing to take lightly.Long is not long, and virtuous is not virtuous, and all the ministers are worried.A country cannot live without a king for a day.Now that the national mourning period is over, there will always be someone to sit on that throne, and the two princes don't seem to be very wise.

At this time, someone suddenly said, "Empress Wei is not dead, but seems to be sneaking into the wild with his son."

The court shook violently.Only then did the ministers recall that when the King of Liang destroyed Wei, the Queen of Wei set herself ablaze in Dongming Hall with her two children in grief.After the incident, Liang Wang hurriedly buried the mother and son, without even stopping the spirit.Now that I think about it, it is indeed a bit strange.

Naturally, the supporters of the eldest son of the emperor and the second son of the emperor all denounced this as baseless talk, but more courtiers thought that there must be a reason for the incident, and it would not be too difficult to investigate. If there is really a The prince's exile among the people is also the loss of the country and the loss of officials.

More importantly, compared to two adult princes, a young emperor is obviously a better choice. At least children will not go crazy or kill people at every turn, and it is easier to teach them.

The only problem is that the blood of the Wei clan is flowing on the body of the young emperor, and the Wei clan and the King of Liang have the hatred of extermination of the clan and the subjugation of the country, so what?

In fact, it's not difficult. If you leave the mother and keep the child, won't everything be fine?
The discussion has been decided, and the ministers immediately started to deal with the matter, and soon got the testimony of the Yuan Emperor's private guards, and the minister who wrote the secret order to kill the guard also appeared to testify. It also disproves the possibility that the third son of the emperor is still alive.

So, the ministers headed by Prime Minister Zuo and General Protector immediately set off and came to the small northern city, where they met the "Third Prince" who looked like Wei Shu.And when Wei Shu appeared, everyone couldn't help being amazed.

There are many beauties in Weiguo, and everyone has long known that Queen Wei is beautiful.When she first entered the Liang Palace, she had been imitated by the entire palace because of her extraordinary beauty. All the beauties were beautiful with the makeup and clothing of the Queen of Guards, and the "Wei Ji" was the most famous among them.

No one expected that the many years of rural life would not wear away the beauty of the beauty, but added a charm to her, making her charming and dazzling.

It was night, Prime Minister Zuo prostrated himself under the beauty's pomegranate skirt.In a few days, the general who protects the country will follow in his footsteps.

When the group returned to the capital, no one mentioned the theory of "remove the mother and keep the son", and the rumors of "weak women are unbearable" and "mother killing is unlucky" gradually spread.

Not long after, the most powerful supporter of the second son of the emperor, the right minister, also turned against each other and stood firmly beside the third son of the emperor, and Da Sikong was heartbroken and shouted in the court hall, "My great Liang Wanli territory unexpectedly I can't tolerate a woman's flow", so much so that the tears flowed, which made all the officials ashamed.

However, in the end, it was the third son of the emperor who wept in front of several Situ and asked: "I have no father, will I have no mother?"

Since then, no one mentioned Wei's bloodline.

The young emperor came to the throne, later called Xizong, Wei Shu was respected as the queen mother, and entered the Weiyang Palace.

That year, she was 29 years old.

Returning to Miyagi after a lapse of seven years, things are different, people are different, and the scenery is different. Even Wei Shu herself seems to have changed from head to toe.

Every day that followed, to Wei Shu, was like facing the abyss.

She hides too many secrets, and the biggest one is a sharp knife hanging above her head, which will fall down at any time.Every day she is not worried about this matter, and every day she is not plotting bigger plans.

A year later, she finally won the opportunity for herself to assist the young emperor in his own administration, and appeared at the court fair and aboveboard.

She seized this opportunity tightly, arranged manpower little by little, raised private soldiers, and made friends with various powerful families, gradually weaving a group of wings.

By the time she was 35 years old, half of Daliang's court was already under her control, the empress dowager's fluttering and wide sleeves were almost everywhere, and many ministers had also begun to get used to the beautifully woven curtain next to the emperor's throne.

I don't know when, the emperor's edicts are no longer counted. Only the edicts stamped with the empress dowager's seal, or the edict issued by the empress dowager, can be successfully implemented.

At this point, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the mother and son will turn against each other.

No emperor is willing to be driven into the air—even if the person who drives the emperor is his own mother.Likewise, no Avenger ever stops before the finish line.

Mother and child cannibalism, is it just a matter of winning or losing?But the magnificent imperial city covered all the bloodshed, and what outsiders saw was that the emperor was weak and unfortunately died of illness. The empress dowager had no choice but to take charge of the government due to grief.

From the empress dowager to the emperor is a road with no end in sight, and it is also the most difficult and painful road that Wei Shu has walked in her life.

Along the way, it is inevitable that the party will fight against dissidents and harm scholars. For those who deceive her as a woman and always think that it is easy to snatch the throne from her, Wei Shu is not hesitant to give them a flay , Zhu Lian Nine Clans.

Blood gradually stained his hands, and the meandering river of blood flooded every inch of land under the throne.

Not without surprise.

When there is no one in the night, the dreamland will always be soaked in blood, and Wei Shu, who sits up in shock, will be surprised that the strange and cold woman in the mirror is actually herself.

When did she become like this?
Where did that gentle and beautiful Jiangnan good girl go?
However, such emotional ups and downs are only for a moment.That night of fire and blood many years ago smoothed everything and accomplished everything.

It's fair for you to hate my country and family, and it's fair for me to take away thousands of miles of land from you.Is not it?

At the age of 40, Wei Shu finally completed the enthronement ceremony, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth on the top of Mount Tai, and became the third emperor of the Liang Dynasty.

Due to the busy state affairs, Wei Shu had gray hair many years ago. Now that she is getting older and has countless worries, her suspicions have become more and more serious.

Gradually, her gaze began to focus on the court for a long time, on those so-called loyal ministers who were sneaky and inconsistent, and her whole spirit was also shrouded in the capital, always firmly believing that the world is safe and the court is as solid as gold. , the world will also be peaceful.

Now she finally knows that the court is not the same as the country.

But if this is the case, then who will tell her what is Jiangshan?What is the world?
"Boom--"

The thunder broke out, and Wei Shu's heart trembled slightly.

The lead cloud pressed the sky very low, and the heavy rain was coming, and the light became darker, like nightfall.

Wei Shu opened her eyes wide, looking at the forest of knives and spears under the long steps of the white marble from a distance, and at the faces of the silent common people.

Why did you rebel?Why did you choose such a rebellious path?Why would you rather fight with death than live under my rule?

Wei Shu couldn't figure it out.

Could it be because of successive years of natural disasters?Is it because the gods have sinned because of the long drought and no rain?But she clearly ordered someone to set up an altar to pray for rain, issued an edict of guilt, reduced taxes in various places, exempted most of the corvee, and built water conservancy in flooded areas. The cost has also been cut by more than half.

Is this not enough?
Wei Shu's fingers were tightened by the fine tendon bowstring, and the feeling of numbness was spreading all over her body.

She hadn't picked up a bow and arrow for almost 20 years, and the increasingly cold moisture in the air was also weakening her will a little bit.

At this moment, she was like a piece of dead wood that had been dead for many years, waiting to completely rot after a heavy rain.

Then, she saw the somewhat unfamiliar figure in the crowd.

That was Liang II who "died" many years ago - her own flesh and blood.After all, she couldn't calm down, after all, it was the only blood left in her today.

But at this moment, her blood sees her as hatred, and the eyes looking at her are full of hatred.

The raised black sleeves slowly fell down and flattened, "Danglang--", there was a sound of golden gongs, and the iron bow bounced twice on the brick floor, and the oppressive air seemed to be stirred loose.

Wei Shu stood still for a moment with her hands empty, and opened her chapped lips:

"After I die, I will hang my head on the tower, and I will watch you..."

"Whoosh-"

The sound of breaking through the air suddenly tore up her voice.

She was overwhelmed by a rain of arrows like locusts.

(End of this chapter)