First Concubine

Chapter 123 Secrets of the Royal Palace (4)

Shui Linglong said earnestly: "In this battle, remember not to trust anyone! Even brothers who have been born and died together may betray you. There are no unchanging allies in this world, only eternal interests. Instead of believing in those illusory brotherhoods, It is better to calm down and think about each other's conflicts or interests. Sometimes, the enemy may not want to kill you, because the enemy does not want to be killed by you. Remember it all!”

“Huh?” Guo Yan seemed to understand, but even his brothers couldn’t believe it. So... how to fight the battle?

Shui Linglong knew that it was very difficult for him, who was upright and honest, to accept these intrigues. Strategies on the battlefield may not be effective when applied to interpersonal relationships, but what often kills you is not the enemy you think is the most powerful, but the one you have always ignored. Little pawn, this is probably the so-called "it's easy to hide from an open gun and hard to defend against a hidden arrow."

Seeing that Guo Yan was silent, Shui Linglong opened the curtain and looked at his confused expression. She had heard it, but had not yet digested it. Shui Linglong put down the curtain and nodded secretly, then said: "Also, you must be good at it. Use a villain and don't alienate him because of his cunning and cunning. Only a villain will betray the people around him without conscience, and maybe this person is the one who wants to harm you. Since you are the marshal, you are the top general in this battle. , it’s not a problem to hold a handful of villains.”

Guo Yan tried hard to remember Shui Linglong’s words.

Shui Linglong whispered: "It's late at night, please go back. I hope you will make a triumphant return soon."

"Can...can I hug you?" Guo Yan asked bravely. According to the memory of his previous life, Guo Yan himself will die in this battle. I wonder if he can change history...

Shui Linglong said in a stern tone: "I'm taking a rest!"

 Guo Yan felt so wronged that her nose was sore. She was reborn for a year, and the total time she spent with her did not exceed five days...

 News of another war between Dazhou and Mobei spread quickly throughout the country. The mighty general Guo Yan led his troops on the expedition, and the people sent each other off along the way. The shouts were deafening, almost breaking the thick sky.

In addition, Zhuge Yu arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, and the south-to-west diversion project officially started after rigorous testing.

Although there was a huge amount of property looted from Ruixue Villa last time, the great Zhou Dynasty still faced a very strong financial burden from digging canals, building dams, and stationing troops to fight, so the court decided to increase taxes by 10%. This caused a lot of commotion among the people, and some people even rebelled and tried to compete with the imperial court. However, these unorganized and undisciplined stragglers were annihilated by the imperial army before they were fully assembled. Since then, there have been no civil riots.

 For a large family like Zhenbei Palace, the 10% tax does not cause any pressure, and everyone's life goes on as usual.

If there was anything that shocked the Zhenbei Palace, it was the remarriage of Yao Cheng and Zhuge Xi.

Sister Hui was born prematurely, and her body was weaker than that of ordinary babies. She had been sick every three days. Mrs. Yao said, "Xiao Xi, you are about to give birth and it is not convenient to take care of Sister Hui. Please put Sister Hui in my room." "Keep it. If you have the energy to take care of the two after you give birth, I will bring Sister Hui over."

“It all depends on mother’s arrangements.” The relationship between Zhuge Xi and Leng Wei will not be written off just because Leng Wei suffered great retribution. Leng Wei destroyed all the small items that Leng Wei asked Qian’s mother to give to Yao Cheng. Love doesn't come first, so what if Leng Wei met Yao Cheng first? This is not an excuse for Leng Wei to steal her husband. Therefore, if she could, she didn't want to see Sister Hui at all.

Compared to Zhuge Xi’s busy schedule, Shui Linglong is very leisurely. Ever since Shui Linglong told Shui Hange about Shui Lingxi's threat to her, Shui Hange had confined Shui Lingxi in his yard. As for Xun Feng, he didn't come out to play around while he was recovering from his injuries. Shui Linglong chatted with the old lady and Zhen in the morning, and practiced music, chess, calligraphy and painting with Zhuge Shu and Shui Lingqing in the afternoon.

On this day, Shui Lingqing and Zhuge Shu finished practicing the piano and planned to go back to the courtyard to have dinner. Shui Linglong's eyes flashed and she said to Zhuge Shu: "I saw a pattern in the second aunt's room the day before yesterday and thought it was quite novel. Yes, but I forgot how to embroider when I came back. I took you back to the yard and asked my second aunt for the pattern. "

Out of the yard, Shui Linglong winked at Zhi Fan.

Zhi busy smiled and walked to Hu Hua's side. He said with bright eyes: "The peonies in front are in full bloom. How about we pick some for the masters and put them in flowers?"

Amber's eyes moved and she smiled brightly: "Okay, I remember that the second lady also loves white chrysanthemums. Let's pick some too!"

Shui Linglong took a deep look at Hu Hu, then smiled at Zhuge Shu and said, "Shu'er, your eldest aunt goes to the temple to stay for a few days every year. I heard that she chants sutras and prays for your brother Yan?"

 Zhuge Shu frowned warily!

Shui Linglong calmly picked up the handkerchief and wiped the corners of her lips. She had been fawning over Zhuge Shu for so long, how could she be willing to do so without getting anything out of it?

"Your eldest brother mentioned it to me that time and also told me the cause of your brother Yan's death. I was so deep in my sleep that I couldn't hear clearly. I wanted to ask him for confirmation, but I was also afraid that he would think that I was absent-minded in getting along with him. I'm probably old and confused. He even ignored such an important matter."

 It turns out that it was the eldest brother who told the eldest sister-in-law! In this way, the sister-in-law is already an insider! Zhuge Shu's warning line was loose: "Brother Yan died of illness, don't remember it wrong!"

Shui Linglong looked at her with a curious expression.

Zhuge Shu sighed and said, "I was not born yet. I heard from my mother that the eldest brother and brother Yan were twins. When they were three years old, they both got sick and almost died. The eldest brother's He was in better health and carried it over, but Brother Yan did not. "

“This sounds very common, why is it forbidden to talk about it in the government?” Shui Linglong expressed her doubts.

 Zhuge Shu tilted her head and thought for a while: "It seems... she is afraid that my eldest aunt will be sad! Anyway, that's what my mother told me."

Over there, Amber and Zhi Fan came over holding a large bouquet of flowers. Amber smiled in good faith, and Shui Linglong had a flash of inspiration and raised the corners of her lips meaningfully.

In the bedroom, Mrs. Zhen was talking happily with Mrs. Wu: "Mrs. Wu, you are reliable in doing things...I feel more at ease now that this marriage has been decided. I will never treat Su Chenghou's house badly in terms of betrothal gift!"

Mrs. Wu used the cup lid to poke the tea leaves floating in the cup. There was a smile in her eyes, but her tone was a bit gloomy: "I heard... Prince An got married in Kashgar."

Zhen's hand holding the tea cup shook. She hurriedly laughed and said, "How can it be possible? How come our princes are married? Where did you hear that? Are you misunderstood?"

Mrs. Wu has been a matchmaker for many people over the years, and she has developed a pair of sharp eyes. She originally scoffed when she heard this in the teahouse, but now she believed it after seeing Mrs. Zhen's expression. She held the teacup and Silent.

Mrs. Zhen was a little flustered. Her son had indeed married, but the marriage was ruined before the wedding. Strictly speaking, this was not considered a marriage! Thinking of this, Mrs. Zhen's panic calmed down a little. She smiled at Mrs. Wu: "The marriage between the prince and Qiao Hui has also been reconciled. There is no reason to cancel the engagement. It will not be our prince's who will be damaged by that time. Reputation, you know, Dong Jialin's brother is guaranteed to be the next No. 1 scholar. She will rise with the tide, and she is worthy of our king. If Madam insists on listening to the unfounded rumors! , I have nothing to say, anyway, I’m not afraid if this matter comes to the old lady and the prince!”

This means that Prince An has a backup even if his reputation is lost. Qiao Hui is different. When a woman breaks off her engagement, her worth will be greatly reduced. This has been true throughout the ages, but you will know it when you look at Shui Lingxi in Shangshu Mansion. , she is also a legitimate daughter, she is completely inferior to the other three sisters who were born as concubines!

Mrs. Wu's expression changed, and she said with a smile: "Look at you, why are you so excited? Didn't I come to discuss countermeasures with you?" She felt sorry for herself, and this was probably true, but The royal family and the clan were suppressed! Someone deliberately leaked the news to her and wanted to use her as a messenger. If she spread the news to Suchenghou Mansion, Qiao Hui and Prince An would not be able to get married, and their reputations would be damaged. They might even turn against each other, but she Is this middleman who protects the media clean again? I'm afraid both families will blame her at the same time! She has such a vicious mind, if she knew who was stabbing him in the back, she would have to skin that person!

Zhen Zhen leaned over slightly and signaled to Liuzhu. Liuzhu turned around and took out a whole box of golden gold ingots from the inner room and placed it on the table. Wu Fu's eyes immediately widened!

 It doesn’t matter if it’s a role that doesn’t allow you to play well. Madam Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile: "Madam, tell me the truth, where did you get the news?"

Mrs. Wu then told Mrs. Zhen about the conversation between the two young men in the tavern: "...I often go to Huangji Restaurant. This is the first time I heard someone talking about this kind of thing, so I became more cautious. Unfortunately, they went behind my back. , I can’t see their faces clearly.”

Zhen’s brows furrowed, young master? Zhuge Yu went to the south of the Yangtze River, and it was definitely not him. The prince himself would not spread the word everywhere. Neither the old lady nor the princess had any close followers. Only the prince had an uncle, but uncle Yu was old and a little I'm not young either...

Then who could it be?

A young and handsome face flashed in my mind. Could it be...him?

“Second Madam, the Crown Princess and the Fourth Young Lady are here!” the maid outside the door reported loudly.

Mrs. Zhen quickly winked at Mrs. Wu. Mrs. Wu smiled, closed the brocade box, took it in her hand, and whispered: "I'll take care of it! No matter who comes to Sucheng in person, I can take care of the Houfu’s nonsense for you!”

Ms. Zhen smiled with satisfaction.

When Shui Linglong and Zhuge Shu entered the house, they were surprised to find that Mrs. Wu was also there. The three of them greeted each other, and Mrs. Wu smiled and said: "The prince and Miss Qiao are very compatible, so the marriage has been decided! At the end of the month, Naji, Don’t forget it, Second Madam!”

Mrs. Zhen clapped her hand in response and said politely: "Oh, I really tired you out, Madam. I'll invite you to the show another day!"

Mrs. Wu held the brocade box and smiled so hard that she couldn't see her eyes: "Okay! I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave first!"

Shui Linglong noticed that Mrs. Wu's hand holding the box was very stiff, and her knuckles were faintly white. Could it be that there was gold in it? If so, what did Mrs. Wu do to make Mrs. Zhen please her so much?

 (End of this chapter)