The prince is very fierce

The morning light came on, and firecrackers sounded everywhere in Fufenggang, welcoming the arrival of the new year.

On the first day of the first lunar month, the reign title of the Song Dynasty, "Zhaohong", was officially changed to the new emperor's reign title of "Jianping".

Compared with Song Ji's vigorous ambition of "the way of heaven is clear and the beginning of Hongmeng", the appeal of "Jianping" is much more ordinary, and it is nothing more than "re-establishing peace in the world".

But Song Ling, the new monarch, was only ten years old. This small appeal seemed so pale and weak under the torrent of the general trend.

Almost everyone knows that this reign will be the final chapter of the sixty-year Great Yue period. No matter who wins or loses among the Xu family, the Four Eastern Kings, and the Northern Qi Dynasty, the direct line of the Song family will definitely be gone.

Just after the New Year, in the small town of Fufenggang, people gathered in the streets to sing, tell stories, and perform juggling. Although the border town is small, it is full of New Year flavor.

The door of the restaurant was opened, with Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" posted on the outside. Chen Chong, the spear god of Northern Xinjiang, had nothing to do. In order to join in the excitement of the New Year, he set up a place outside the restaurant and performed tricks and tricks.

Zhu Manzhi has always longed for the life of a Jianghu person. He has often studied ways to support himself, and he also wanted to join in the fun, perform "a milk stick breaking a big rock", and let Chen Sining smash a hammer.

This proposal was naturally rejected by Xu Buling.

Wouldn't it hurt him to death if it was smashed flat?

In order to make Manzhi happy, Xu Buling simply lay down and let her break the rocks, but Manzhi was reluctant to do it again.

After an argument, the show turned into snake-playing.

Xu Buling found a jar and put two little snakes in it. Manzhi and Chen Sining played music while the two little snakes danced around.

The two girls had a great time, and the people who were watching were also surprised. It was just that they suffered from two little snakes and couldn't hibernate. They also had to dance outside in the middle of winter. If they could talk, they would definitely have to complain a bit. Don't treat people kindly.

There is always a banquet in the world. Although celebrating the New Year together is very lively, each of them has unfinished business and cannot stay for too long.

On the early morning of the third day of the third year of junior high school, Xu Buling was sitting in the lobby, watching the two girls playing with snakes. The little sparrow was the happiest. He stood on his shoulder and screamed twice from time to time, as if urging, 'Twist faster, right, right, right'.

Before the performance was over, Li Hansheng and Zhu Liu walked out of the backyard, already dressed in Jianghu costumes.

After two days of training, the injury was definitely not healed. Zhu Liu's right hand was still bandaged and hanging around his neck, but his complexion had improved a lot.

Zhu Liu came to Xu Buling, looked at Manzhi who was playing outside, and said:

"If you stay too long, the Northern Qi government will come to see you. You should pack up and prepare to leave."

They were both in Northern Qi, not at their own homes. Naturally, it was hard to persuade Xu Buling to stay. He stood up and saluted:

"Two seniors, be careful all the way. Wait until spring comes to Jiangnan before going to visit the two seniors."

Zhu Manzhi heard the noise, put down the flute that had not been played at all, and ran in from outside, with some reluctance in his eyes:

"Dad, are you leaving so soon? Your injury is not healed. Please don't use force again in the future, otherwise Mom will have to beat you."

Zhu Liu smiled softly: "Your mother is still waiting in Jiangnan. She misses you so much. Why don't you go back with me?"

?!

Zhu Manzhi's expression froze, and he suddenly became a little confused. He glanced at Xu Buling and hesitated to speak.

Zhu Liu was just joking. It might not be long before we meet again next time. There is no need to say goodbye too much. He just waved his hand and said:

"Forget it, the married daughter threw water. Go in and pack your things. Dad is leaving first. See you in Jiangnan."

Li Hansheng said very little. He walked out of the door first and turned around and said:

"You should be careful and go back as soon as possible. Zhu Liu and I were injured and can't help."

Xu Buling nodded with a smile and sent the two out of the door. Chen Chong also came back with a gun, and then the three of them got on their horses and galloped towards the south.

"Goodbye, daddy!"

Zhu Manzhi stood at the door and watched, her face still red and a little embarrassed.

Chen Sining also put away the two small snakes, walked up to them, and asked:

"Mr. Xu, shall we continue to look for agarwood?"

Xu Buling glanced to the southwest and thought for a while:

"Come here, I must be looking for agarwood. Now that the alliance between the two countries has been destroyed, Northern Qi must have thought that I entered the Pass and returned to Dayue. If I go to Guiyan City at this time, I might be able to get something else. It's not far anyway. , go take a look first, if you don’t have a chance, it’s not too late to leave.”

Zhu Manzhi definitely wanted to go shopping in Guiyan City. When she heard ‘get something else’, she blinked:

"Mr. Xu, you don't want to go to the capital again and kidnap a princess and come back, do you?"

again?

Chen Sining frowned slightly, feeling that something was wrong.

Fortunately, Xu Bu Ling reacted quickly, waved his hand and said:

"How is it possible? I'm not interested in the princess."

Not interested? ?

Chen Sining felt even more wrong...

----------

The first year of Jianping, the third day of the first lunar month.

The imperial capital of the Northern Qi Dynasty returned to Yan City, where there was a surge of singing and dancing. Princes and princes from all over the world gathered in the imperial city to celebrate the crowning ceremony of Prince Jiang Du.

Guiyan City was a city expanded by the Qi royal family after they retreated to the north. Its layout was exactly the same as that of Chang'an City. The imperial city was carved out of the same mold. The only difference was that the 'Tai Chi Hall', which symbolized the center of power in the world, was changed to 'Guiyuan City'. "Dian" means returning to one's origins.

In the white jade square outside the Guiyuan Hall, the princes and generals gathered together. The monarch Jiang Lin was sitting on the dragon chair. Like all the men in the Northern Qi Dynasty, he wore white hair and no crown.

The ancestors vowed to "keep their hair disheveled forever if they don't return to their homeland." Men in the Northern Qi Dynasty actually don't put up their crowns, and even the monarchs do the same. Therefore, Jiang Du's "crown ceremony" seems a bit weird. He just puts the white jade hair crown on the tray. Here, it means that you already have the ceremonial crown, and you can wear it dignifiedly when you regain the lost land in the future.

The ceremony was carried out in an orderly manner. Outside the palace on the side of the square, wealthy nobles watched the ceremony from a distance.

The little peach blossom in the underskirt looks like a lady. She looks cute and sweet, but her eyes are a little boring, but it means that the master is here to support the scene and cannot sneak away, so she can only stand upright.

Zuo Zhan, Zuo Qingqiu's eldest son, was carefree by nature and liked the world, but he didn't like this scene very much. He was chatting with his friend Jiang Kai.

Jiang Kai, the eldest son of the right prince, was captured on the battlefield and became a laughing stock. He originally planned to stay at home and not participate in this occasion. But being kidnapped by Xu Buling a few days ago really frightened him. He didn't trust the palace's security, so he and Zuo Zhan came to the capital to hide. After all, life was more important than face.

After being kidnapped twice in a row, Jiang Kai's resentment towards Xu Buling was self-evident. He leaned in front of Zuo Zhan and whispered:

"Zuo Zhan, the national master led a group of masters to hunt, and judging by the time, he should be successful. When the time comes to escort Xu Buling back, you must notify me as soon as possible."

Zuo Zhan folded his arms and watched the ceremony. Seeing that Xiao Taohua wasn't paying attention, he leaned closer and asked:

"Why are you being informed? Are you going to show off your power?"

"How is that possible?"

Jiang Kai looked a little helpless: "I am also the prince of the feudal lord after all. How could I do something like that for a villain to succeed? I just wanted to see his frightened but helpless look, and then comfort him with a few words to show that I don't care about past grudges." .

That's right, go find me a beautiful woman with a good figure, big breasts and a big butt, preferably a widow, and let her walk around outside the cell to seduce him but not let him eat. I'm so anxious. he……"

? ?

Zuo Zhan touched his chin and wanted to say something, but couldn't finish it. Finally he waved his hand:

"Xu Buling is a 'Zhaohong Yimei'. What kind of beauty from the Central Plains I have never seen, I will definitely not accept this trick."

Jiang Kai shook his head and said seriously:

"You don't understand this. No matter how cold a man is, there are times when he is hot, just to see if he suits his taste. If he doesn't like it, then he will drag all the beauties from fourteen to forty years old in front of him. I don't believe it. He didn't respond."

"What if he and... Xu Buling are as good as Long Yang and like men."

"Probably not. The last time I kidnapped my son, he didn't touch me. It doesn't look like..."

…

The whispers continued.

Little Taohua was standing nearby. She had been extremely talented in martial arts since she was a child. She actually heard the conversation between the two people clearly. She pursed her lips slightly and couldn't help but whisper.

"Even if you like a man, you will pick out his appearance. You can't just do something to him if he is a man."

? ?

This obviously means that Jiang Kai is mediocre in appearance and cannot catch the eyes of men.

Jiang Kai's expression froze, then he waved his hand:

"What does this little girl know about movies? My prince's appearance, if not compared to that of Xu Buring, is at least more handsome than your two senior brothers, right?"

"My senior brother isn't very handsome either."

Zuo Zhan's expression also froze. After thinking about it, it was better for the adults to ignore the junior sister's fault and pretend that they didn't hear anything.

We just chatted away for a long time, and it was afternoon.

After the crowning ceremony, Emperor Qi returned to the harem. The princes and princes left one after another. The three of them left the imperial city and returned to Xuanwu Street.

Xiao Taohua's mother also lived in Guiyan City. After saying goodbye to her senior brother, she returned home and continued to be her own fortune teller.

Zuo Zhan returned to the Imperial Master's Mansion at the end of the street. He originally wanted to change his clothes and go out for a drink with Jiang Kai, but when he walked into the mansion, he found that Zuo Qingqiu had returned.

Zuo Zhan hurried to the study. When he entered the door, he saw Zuo Qingqiu sitting cross-legged on the terrace alone, looking at the water of the lotus pond, with a hint of sadness in his brows.

"Dad, you're back."

Zuo Zhan walked to the back of the terrace, looked at it for a few times, and asked, "How is the matter?"

Zuo Qingqiu was silent for a moment, and the few emotions in his eyes gradually suppressed, and he said calmly:

"Envoy Dongyue and Xu Buling secretly conspired to launch an attack in Mazhao Ridge, intending to ambush my father and kill both of them. Xu Buling should have gone south to enter the pass by now."

When Zuo Zhan heard the news, his heart sank. Dongyue and the Xu family teamed up to ambush his father, so the alliance must have been ruined. The situation also changed from a three-legged confrontation to one where East and West Yue joined forces to fight against foreign enemies. The future battles in Northern Qi will not be difficult to fight.

But Zuo Zhan was not able to participate in these matters. Knowing that his father was in a bad mood, he just nodded and said with concern:

"Daddy is well rested, and the child has retired."

Zuo Qingqiu raised his hand, and Zuo Zhan turned around and walked out of the study.

Just as he stepped out of the door, Zuo Qingqiu turned his head again, thought about it, and softened his voice a bit:

"Your grandfather and your grandmother passed away a few days ago. They died and were buried outside Qiufeng Town. Take some time to burn incense sticks with your mother."

"..."

Zuo Zhan paused, his expression changed a few times, and he nodded silently...

--------

The crowning ceremony had just ended. Outside the Imperial Study Room of the Northern Qi Palace, Qi Emperor Jiang Lin stood on the steps, looking at the huge imperial city filled with palace lanterns.

The cold wind blew the brocade robe, and the strands of white hair swayed in the wind, making the back of the nearly sixty-year-old monarch look a bit desolate.

Prince Jiang Du was conferred the title of Crown Prince, which means that the Jiang Qi, which had gone through more than 300 years of ups and downs, has a new heir.

As a monarch, no one does not want to live forever, but the way of heaven is so. Those who can reach this position also understand that their life span is limited, and sooner or later they will pass the throne to the young.

Being able to select a qualified heir is almost the most important thing for every emperor in the second half of his life. Song Ji's father made a decision on the eve of his death, which shows how serious this matter is.

If the choice is good, it is possible to lead a dynasty to an unprecedented prosperity; if the choice is wrong, Song Ji, the "Emperor Yueling" who has become history, is the most direct example at present.

In theory, determining the heir should be a great thing for the whole country to celebrate, with peace in the court and stability in the kings, and the monarch can also breathe a sigh of relief, but the monarch of Qi, Jiang Lin, is not happy at all at this time.

Emperor Qi Jiang Lin is nearly sixty years old. When he was born, the Jiang family of Daqi was at its most desolate. Thousands of royal family members were driven to the wild land of the northern frontier, sleeping on straw and tasting gall, and trying to find a way out from the poor mountains and bad waters.

Jiang Lin grew up in that environment, and was able to stand out among many princes to inherit the throne because Jiang Lin had a breath in his heart, the breath of "not returning to Chang'an and dying with eyes open".

When other princes were drinking to drown their sorrows, the young Jiang Lin was outside with the laborers to build horse farms, dig canals, build workshops, and search for mineral veins, trying every way to add bricks and tiles to Daqi, just to see the Jiang family of Daqi take back what belongs to them in his lifetime.

In just a few decades, Northern Qi has gone from a dog that lost its home to a tiger and wolf army, and the Dayue Iron Cavalry has been defeated step by step. It is true that the national teacher Zuo Qingqiu was strategizing, but without the stubborn bones of the monarch Jiang Lin to lead, how can a national teacher display his great ability?

But Jiang's luck seems to have run out, and the sky is no longer on Jiang's side.

Jiang Lin's health has been deteriorating in recent years, and the war situation in the south has become tense, which has exhausted Jiang Lin's energy. No one can say how long he can hold on.

Because of overwork when he was young, Jiang Lin had few children. It was not until he was almost forty years old that he gave birth to a legitimate son, named "Jiang Du", which means "down-to-earth, single-minded, and persistent".

But this son, who placed all his hopes on Jiang Lin, showed the side of "tiger father and dog son" when he was young. He had small talents but no great abilities. He had neither the "magnanimity" of a benevolent monarch, nor the "great talent and strategy" of a heroic lord, and even the "arbitrary and cruel" of a tyrant.

How can a person who can't even be a tyrant shock the civil and military officials in the court?

Jiang Lin did not expect Jiang Du to be as wise and brave as the son of Prince Su. Even if he knew how to use people to gain power for himself like the prince of Nanyue, Chen Ju, he could still secure the position of the monarch of Northern Qi.

But Jiang Du did not have this talent. "Mediocre and incompetent, difficult to accomplish great things" was the only evaluation Jiang Lin gave to this son. Moreover, even his "hobbies" were different from those of normal men. It seemed that God wanted to cut off the thousand-year incense inheritance of the Jiang family.

If there were any other choice, Jiang Lin would not make this son the crown prince, but he had no choice at all.

Tap tap tap——

Under the eaves of the palace, Jiang Du, wearing a cloud-patterned brocade robe, walked quickly to the outside of the imperial study and bowed:

"Father."

Jiang Lin did not look back, or it could be said that he had never looked at this son straight in the eye since Jiang Du was three years old. He just looked at the towering city outside the eaves, and said coldly:

"From today on, you are half the monarch of Da Qi, what are you thinking about?"

Jiang Du faced Rouya, and faced this sudden question, he was not panicked, and said seriously:

"As a monarch, he should hold his people accountable..."

The answer was quite quick, quoting the ancient classics, meaning that 'the monarch should make rules to discipline the people below, so that they can perform their duties'.

But this is obviously not what Jiang Lin wanted to hear.

When Jiang Lin heard this old scholar-like answer, he felt a nameless fire in his heart, turned his head and said angrily:

"You should be looking forward to my death! As long as I am alive, how can you inherit the throne? As long as I am alive, what can you use to 'hold your people accountable'? As long as I am alive, I can abolish you as the prince at any time!"

"Father..."

Jiang Du was frightened by this and his face turned pale, and he knelt down quickly.

Jiang Lin, with his white hair, looked like an old lion, looking down at his son in front of him:

"Sitting in this position, you can be a brutal and murderous tiger, a greedy wolf, a treacherous and cunning fox, a cold-blooded and ruthless snake and scorpion, but you can't be a human.

'Loyalty, filial piety, integrity, shame and courage' are what you tell others, not what you have to keep. A king is always alone. For the position under your buttocks, your brothers, wife and children dare to use knives against you. You only have yourself, and you are not selfish. What can you use to sit firmly in this position?"

Jiang Du lowered his head, not knowing how to answer.

After Jiang Lin glared for a while, he calmed down a little, looked at the palace outside again, and said coldly:

"Are you still in contact with the son of the merchant?"

Jiang Du's face froze, and he said quickly:

"Father, I..."

"I don't care what you think, but for a monarch, nothing is more important than sitting on the dragon throne. For this chair, there is nothing that cannot be given up.

If you are ruthless, I will give you the position; if you are not ruthless, I will also fulfill your wish. At most, I will adopt one of the sons of the vassal king. Do you really think that if you become the prince, this position will be easy to get?"

"Father, this..."

"Get out!"

Jiang Lin didn't want to listen to Jiang Du's words at all, because saying good things a thousand times is not as convincing as doing it once with your own hands. He turned around and entered the imperial study room without saying anything.

Crown Prince Jiang Du knelt outside the imperial study room, bowed his head and remained silent for a long time, then slowly stood up:

"Father, please pay attention to your body, don't get angry. Your son... Your son knows."

...

-------

After leaving Fufenggang, you will enter Yunzhong County. If you walk along the Daqing Mountains for two hundred miles, you will reach Guiyan City, the capital of Northern Qi.

There are plains on both sides of Daqing Mountain, and the south side is adjacent to the Yellow River. It is considered the main road in Northern Qi. Towns are gradually increasing, and the population density is also increasing.

Xu Buling rode his horse on the snowy plain, and did not take the official road. When it was getting dark, he stopped at a river bend on the north bank of the Yellow River.

Because he concealed his whereabouts, he did not encounter any accidents along the way, but the experience along the way was very different from the world of two people a few days ago.

In the past, when traveling with Cui Xiaowan, Xu Buling would tell stories, Cui Xiaowan would occasionally interrupt and ask questions, but she would just listen quietly most of the time.

It was different when Chen Si Ning and Zhu Manzhi followed.

Manzhi had great social skills, she could chat with anyone and never felt awkward, while Chen Si Ning would always join in the conversation, and she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't.

The two girls walked on the left and right, chatting about everything from astronomy and geography to oil, salt, sauce and vinegar. They would chat for a long time with any bird they saw on the road. They had never stopped talking since they left Fufenggang in the morning.

Xu Buling was sandwiched in the middle, and it felt like there was a radio station playing crosstalk next to him, with surround sound.

Even after they set up camp and slept in the tent, the two girls would still chat while lying together, as if they were going to "whoever shuts up first loses". The little sparrows began to doubt their lives and flew to the far side of the Yellow River to stand and hide in peace.

Cui Xiaowan was still weak and could not stand the cold, so she slept in the carriage. She listened to the two girls chatting and found it interesting. They hummed a little tune, just like listening to a storyteller.

Xu Buling entered the carriage with a basin of hot water, put it down next to the couch, and took off Xiaowan's embroidered shoes by her ankles. Seeing Xiaowan's appearance, he shook his head and smiled:

"Why don't you respond if you are interested? It's boring to just listen."

Cui Xiaowan leaned on the couch and let Xu Buling play with her white feet:

"I read a lot of books, but I haven't been out much. What they said is quite fresh, and I don't know how to respond."

Xu Buling put Xiaowan's feet in the hot water and comforted her with a smile:

"Don't stay alone in the room all the time in the future. We are all family on the boat. We can sit together to play mahjong and chat, and we will naturally have something to say."

"Oh."

Cui Xiaowan agreed, and looked at Xu Buling who was half squatting in front of her. She felt warm in her heart. After soaking for a while, she remembered something. :

"By the way, your father-in-law is gone. You are not afraid now, right?"

"Hmm?"

Xu Buling was a little puzzled: "What am I afraid of?"

Cui Xiaowan supported herself on the couch with both hands, smiled with curved eyebrows, thought for a while, raised her white toes, and lifted Xu Buling's chin:

"I am afraid that your father-in-law will see you doing something bad."

Xu Buling's eyes were raised a little, just in time to see the hem of Cui Xiaowan's nightgown sliding down along her raised legs. With the dim light in the carriage, some scenery came into view...

White buns...no grass growing...

"Hiss——!"

Xu Buling staggered and almost got a stitch in the side. He instinctively wanted to look away, but he couldn't, his heart was beating like a drum.

Cui Xiaowan bit her lower lip and said with a playful smile:

"Ling'er, does aunt look pretty?"

More than pretty...

Xu Buling was sweating, holding Xiaowan's ankle, thinking for a while, suppressing the inexplicable fire, looking away, pretending to be unmoved:

"Xiaowan, you are not well yet, don't do these things to test my willpower. Also, girls should be more reserved, why are you like Baobao... Baobao was not like this at the beginning..."

Cui Xiaowan never knew what shyness was, she looked straight at Xu Buling:

"Aunt just likes you to have evil thoughts in your heart and pretend to be serious. Did mother seduce you like this?"

You still know it is seduction?

The wording is really standard!

Xu Buling couldn't control his eyes, and glanced at her from time to time, chuckling:

"It's not seduction. At that time, the baby was reluctant to resist but welcomed it, and I accidentally saw it."

Cui Xiaowan smiled and asked curiously: "What was your reaction at that time? Still pretending to be so serious?"

"..."

Xu Buling was a little afraid of Xiaowan. Everything will turn into the opposite when it reaches the extreme. She is so innocent that she is even wilder than Dabai. How can he resist...

Xu Buling hesitated and kissed her arched instep:

"That's what I did at that time."

Cui Xiaowan shrank slightly, and her face turned red for a rare time:

"Then what?"

"Then..."

Xu Buling blinked, and finally couldn't pretend anymore...

-----

The carriage stopped on the snow, and the dim lights cast some shadows on the window, moving silently.

In the small tent next to them, Chen Si Ning and Zhu Manzhi lay side by side on the floor, covered with thick quilts, still chatting.

The two little snakes huddled between them. Perhaps they were used to Chen Si Ning's chatterbox and slept peacefully without being affected at all.

"Manzhi, during the day, Master Xu said that he was not interested in the princess... I'm not talking about me, I'm just asking out of curiosity. Did Master Xu get hurt by a princess in Chang'an City, so he's not interested in the princess?"

"How could that be? Master Xu is just teasing you. When we were in Chang'an City, many princesses and counties fell in love with Master Xu at first sight, but Master Xu ignored them. Master Xu was very arrogant at that time..."

"Yes, he is quite arrogant, but Master Xu doesn't seem to resist beauties. Why didn't he like those princesses?"

"Do you need to ask this? Sister Xiang'er is the queen mother. How can Master Xu have the nerve to make a move on Sister Xiang'er's granddaughter? Besides, um... Master Xu seems to like those who are older than him. I heard from Afu that older sisters know how to handle things. They know what to do after patting their buttocks. Little girls know nothing and can't serve people."

Chen Si Ning frowned slightly, and seemed to understand what she heard. She tilted her head and looked at him:

"Then you are not older than me, how did Master Xu like you?"

Zhu Manzhi frowned and puffed out her chest with a little dissatisfaction:

"How am I not older than you? I am older than Daning."

? ?

Chen Si Ning looked down and didn't want to join in the conversation for the first time. She turned around and faced the other side.

Zhu Manzhi laughed and wanted to continue teasing Chen Si Ning, the innocent little girl, but Chen Si Ning frowned and raised her hand to stop her from talking.

Zhu Manzhi looked a little confused and looked around: "What's wrong?"

"Manzhi, did you hear any strange sounds?"

"What sound?"

"Hmm..."

Chen Si Ning listened carefully, but the sound disappeared again. She could only ask:

"Mr. Xu?"

Soon, Cui Xiaowan's voice came from outside the tent:

"He is combing my blood and qi. It's nothing. You just go to bed early."

The voice was unstable, as if she was a little tired.

Chen Si Ning nodded slightly and sat up from the quilt:

"I know a little bit, how about I come?"

"No, no, you can't come, go to bed early."

Xu Buling responded quickly.

Chen Si Ning blinked her eyes and wanted to say something, but the quick-witted Man Zhi guessed everything, pulled Chen Si Ning back and laid her down, blushing as she said:

"Just chat about your own things, and let Mr. Xu be busy. Where were you just now?"

"Oh... you are older than Daning."

"I am really older than Daning, I measured it with a ruler..."

...

The night was dark, the world was silent, the sound became smaller and smaller, but the lights in the carriage were on all night...

————

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