Pihanjin

Lu Lin came with several old officials from Changsha. After salute, she said that she had sent the special envoy of the Eastern Court to the inn to rest, and came back to return on purpose.

Mu Fulan glanced at him and the old officials who were with him, and knew that he had something else to say. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Lin waved her hands again and again, saying that it was her duty, and said, "Zhao Xitai has stabilized the situation now, not only occupying Huaiyang, but also the Yangtze River moat, so he might be able to counterattack. He took this opportunity to sacrifice, Sending an envoy to my country of Changsha to discuss the matter of joint confrontation sincerely, why should I consider it carefully? Then Xie Changgeng was born as a giant pirate, and he is cunning and changeable. I cannot believe it. If he destroys the Eastern Court, he will definitely fight against my country in Changsha next. Weeds and roots are eliminated. For the long-term plan in the future, we must unite with the Eastern court and fight against it together. In this way, at least the current situation can be maintained to protect our country of Changsha."

Mu Fulan said: "I will consider it carefully."

Several people looked at each other. Lu Lin paused and stepped forward again.

"There's one more thing. When I came back from the ceremony today, many officials urged them to ask about the empty storage space that was discussed earlier. I wonder if Weng Master has considered it?"

Another official continued: "The country must not be without an owner for a day. In the past few years, I have been fortunate to have the regent of the Wengzhu, who knows people well and is responsible, the country is prosperous and the people are safe, and no one in Changsha is disrespectful, but for the long-term plan, I think it should be early. Establishing a king can stabilize the hearts of the people. The crown prince should choose Lincai from the children of the Mu clan. If the selected person is young, I urge Lord Weng to continue to assist the government, and we will also work hard. When he was in power, Lord Weng’s contribution to our country of Changsha was admired by all people, comparable to the sun and the moon!”

Lu Lin looked at Mu Fulan's calm face, and said carefully: "Originally, there was a young master, he is talented and intelligent, and he is the best crown prince for my king of Changsha, but unfortunately because of blood, if he is appointed as the heir, I am afraid His name is not right, his words are not smooth, and he cannot convince the public…”

The remaining few people agreed.

Mu Fulan said indifferently, "I already know what you mean. There have been a lot of things in the past few days, and you have all worked hard, so let's just do it for now."

Everyone said Nuo Nuo, resigned and left, Yuan Handing walked in.

"Lord Weng don't need to pay attention. Changsha has only been stable for a few days. These people rely on their qualifications to make trouble for nothing! If Lord Weng allows it, I will lead the minister to write a letter tomorrow and support Lord Weng as king. No matter how senior they are, what can they do? 100,000 soldiers, only obey the orders of Weng Master!"

After he finished speaking, seeing that Mu Fulan didn't say anything, he thought for a while, and then said, "If Lord Weng has no intention of becoming king and wants to make the young son the heir, it will be as easy as the palm of your hand, as long as Lord Weng speaks!"

Mu Fulan pondered for a moment and said, "We'll talk about this later. The Eastern court is now sending envoys to talk about the joint fight against Shangjing. What do you think?"

A year ago, facing the pressure from Xie Changgeng and the Eastern court in jeopardy, Zhao Xitai took over from his father, showing extraordinary courage and talent. He knew that Dongdu was powerless to return to the sky, so he cut off his arm, abandoned Dongdu, took the initiative to evacuate with wealth and population, and quickly re-established his foothold in Huaiyang on the basis of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Eastern Court, which was once about to collapse, was brought back to life. At this point, Xie Changgeng completely controlled the Shangjing court and occupied all the land except Changsha and Huaiyang in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Not long ago, he had just killed King Zhao who had left the Eastern Court due to the Eastern Capital Rebellion. Rumor has it that he is now preparing to send troops to Huaiyang for the final battle.

Yuan Handing said: "Zhao Xitai is quite a discerning person. A few years ago, when King Qi was still confronting Xie Changgeng in Dongdu, he should have expected that Changping Pass would be difficult to defend, and Dongdu would not be a long-term place to stand. He asked for orders to go to Huaiyang for business. It was exactly what he expected. When he was in Huaiyang, he recruited talented people, trained navy troops, dredged river channels, and solved the flood disaster for the local people for many years, which is quite popular. But it is not easy for Xie Changgeng to conquer Huaiyang in one fell swoop. Under the current situation, whether our country, Changsha, should unite with the Eastern court, or remain neutral, depends on Xie Changgeng."

He stared at Mu Fulan: "Master Weng, Lu Lin and others are cautious and have always been too afraid of Xie Changgeng, but on this matter, my opinion is consistent with them. With all due respect, once the Eastern Court ceases to exist "How could Xie Changgeng allow my Changsha country to continue occupying the hinterland of Dongting? His last goal must be my Changsha country. Instead of dealing with it alone, it is better to form an alliance with Zhao Xitai now, and the odds of winning are better."

"Naturally, everything is based on the will of the lord. No matter how the lord decides, I will obey!"

That night, Mu Fulan was sleepless again.

She still lives in the palace bedroom where she used to be before she got married. In this room, she has carried many of her memories from a young girl to the present. The candle shadow flickered, showing her wandering figure. She stopped in front of the window, her thoughts fluctuated, and she stared at the bright moon in the night sky for a long time, then turned to open a storage box that had been in the corner of the house that she had not touched for a long time, and took out an envelope.

This is the year when that person wrote the Heli book sent by someone after he learned that the state of Changsha might be conspiring with the King of Qi.

At that time, she came back from Tianshan to get medicine, and on the way, to avoid the disaster of Pucheng, she took the waterway. When this letter was sent, she had not returned to Changsha.

"Two hearts are different and cannot return together, so I hereby revise the book and return to their own way."

She lit the candle and looked at the letter, which was written in a scribbled and unrecognizable font, as if she had just written it down. When she fell into meditation, she heard the door being gently pushed open and raised her eyes.

Hee is here.

She hurriedly received the letter, walked towards him, smiled and said, "It's so late, why don't you sleep?"

Xi'er was still wearing her sleeping clothes. "I just read a few pages of the book and wanted to go to bed. Seeing that the light in my mother's house was still on, I came to see it. Mother, rest well, don't be too tired."

Mu Fulan looked at the young boy with bright eyes and handsome face in front of her, remembering the scene of meeting him in Huguo Temple that year. In a blink of an eye, the little child from that day has grown so big.

There was boundless love in her heart.

She walked over, held her son's hand, and said softly, "Mother will take you back to the house. When you go to bed, mother will also go to sleep."

Xi'er shook her head: "I'll send your mother to sleep with you. I'll go to sleep when your mother is asleep." He came over.

Mu Fulan let the little boy hold his hand and followed him inside.

"Mother, take a rest."

When Xier was about to leave, Mu Fulan stopped him.

"Xi'er, although you are mother's son, if mother didn't plan to make you the king of Changsha, would you blame mother?" She hesitated and asked softly.

Xi'er shook her head: "Mother, don't worry, I never wanted to be the king of Changsha. Mother can arrange it as she wants. I just hope that I can be useful in the future and can protect my mother."

Mu Fulan smiled. At this moment, there was a knock on the door from the outhouse.

The maid came to report, saying that the messenger of the Eastern Court was coming, Zhao Xitai came here in a light dress, and Fang arrived tonight.

Mu Fulan pondered for a while, then looked at Xi'er who was looking at her and said, "Mother has something to do, go first. Go to bed."

…

Mu Fulan walked into the Xuanzheng Hall. Inside stood a figure in a nocturnal cloak. The man turned his face when he heard the footsteps, it was Zhao Xitai.

Not seen in three years, and he looks changed a lot. This change is not the appearance, but the feeling.

Although there was a trace of tiredness on his face from traveling at night, his eyes were full of energy. Although he was dressed in regular clothes, he had an extraordinary bearing. Compared with the sick prince of Qi who had just come to Changsha to seek medical treatment many years ago, Like two people.

He saw Mu Fulan appear with a smile on his face, hurried to greet her, and apologized to her for his presumptuous visit.

"I alerted Lord Weng overnight, thank you Lord Weng for being willing to see me here. I haven't seen you for three years, Lord Weng is more elegant than ever."

He stared at Mu Fulan in front of him with a sincere tone. In his eyes, there is not even a hint of darkness or vigilance, only the kind of joy that is like seeing an old friend reunited after a long absence.

He seemed to have completely forgotten how he left Changsha in the first place.

Mu Fulan smiled: "I haven't seen you for three years, and His Majesty is also in a good mood. His Majesty's status is precious, and it is different from the past.

Zhao Xitai smiled and waved his hand.

"Master Weng doesn't have to be so detached from me. I am still Zhao Xitai from the past. Master Weng must also know that I am here to form an alliance."

His expression became serious.

"Master Weng should have received the letter that I asked the messenger to forward earlier. To show my sincerity, I will come here again three years later to meet with Master Weng to discuss important matters. In the current situation, I don't need to say more, Master Weng himself There must be a judgment."

"Xie Changgeng is about to marry Empress Liu's niece, and he has cut off his relationship with your Changsha country early. Although he has not attacked you in the past few years, he has no time to take care of it. He just killed King Zhao, if I, Zhao Xitai, are gone, The next person's turn will be you, Changsha."

"I knew for a long time that Dongdu couldn't stay for a long time, and I was running Yanghuai early. I dare not say that it is unbreakable, but if there are good soldiers and good generals, and there are natural moat, if he sends troops to attack, who will kill the deer, not necessarily..."

He paused, walked in front of Mu Fulan, and lowered his voice.

"Master Weng, I might as well tell you one more thing. He has an important general under my command who fell in love with me, and secretly turned to me. As long as he sends troops to fight, I will cut him off."

He stared deeply at Mu Fulan: "Master Weng, the current situation in the world, as well as your situation in Changsha, is different from three years ago. I believe in you, I don't hide it from you, and I expect you will do the same. A wise choice. As long as you are willing to help me, when you and I join forces, I will be even more powerful, as long as Xie Kou calls, let him prosper in the water, and also perish in the water!"

…

Mu Fulan returned to the bedroom and saw Xier sitting upright on the chair. She didn't go back to the room to sleep, as if she was waiting for her, so she walked over and was about to speak, but saw him get off the chair and stand. In front of him, he asked, "Mother, did that Zhao Xitai come here to persuade you to join him in beating Lord Xie?"

Mu Fulan was taken aback.

"Xi'er, this is a major matter concerning my country in Changsha. You are still young, and it has nothing to do with you. Go to bed, and my mother will make the decision herself."

After she finished speaking, seeing that the child did not move, she continued: "Mother, I am not too young, I have heard something. Not only the prime minister and the others want to join forces with Zhao Xitai, but even the master, he also thinks so. I know they all It is for the consideration of Changsha. But Niangqin, do you remember that three years ago, when Mr. Xie came over, he personally promised me outside the West City Gate that he would never become an enemy of Niangqin in the future. He also sent a message. I swore. If he is not an enemy of Mother, he will definitely not send troops to attack our country of Changsha. Mother, don’t join forces with that Eastern Court, and don’t fight with Lord Xie, okay?”

Mu Fulan was silent for a moment, and said, "Xi'er, people change, and as for what you have said, it is impossible to remember forever, and even if you remember, you may not be able to do it. When you grow up, you will understand. Yes. Go to sleep!"

"Mother!"

Xi'er looked anxious and knelt down in front of her.

"Mother, I believe in Lord Xie! He will remember what he said to me that day, and he will count it! If you are worried, mother, I will write a letter, and you can help me pass it on to Lord Xie! I Ask him to give you a reassurance, so that you can rest assured, mother?"

Mu Fulan said, "Xi'er, be obedient, go to bed!"

When she spoke, there was still a smile on her lips, but it became an irrefutable command tone.

Xi'er stared at her for a moment, then slowly got up from the ground and lowered her head.

Early the next morning, there was something ahead. When Mu Fulan left, she didn't ask Xi'er. Unexpectedly, at noon, Mu's mother hurriedly ran over to find her, saying that the little son was missing.

Mu's mother wiped her tears: "Usually the young master gets up early to practice martial arts and study, but I didn't see him open the door this morning. I thought it was rare for him to sleep late, so I didn't call him. I didn't see him getting up at noon, and I felt wrong. I went to knock on the door, but didn't hear his response, the inside of the door was locked, and I asked someone to break the door, but no one was in the room, presumably the window was broken, and there was only this note..."

Mu Fulan snatched the note, glanced at it, her face changed slightly, and hurried to the north city gate. She was told that this morning, before dawn, the young master was riding out of the city.

Because he often rode out of the city alone on weekdays, the guards didn't ask much. When they saw him coming, they opened the door and let them out.