Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

"The concubine thanked the Queen Mother Long En." A woman knelt down on the ground with her whole body cast down. She is Du Meiren, the elder sister of Du Chenggui, the commander of the Inner Palace.

Fu Jinzhan smiled and helped her up with his own hands, only to see a fair round face with good features, probably only in his twenties. Fu Jinzhan said: "Ms. Du is just at a good age. It's a pity to send you to the cold palace to waste your time. Life in that place is very boring, and no one cares about anything that happens. I specifically asked Cao Tai to pick you up quietly."

Du Meiren's tears flowed down immediately, and she choked up and said: "The queen mother has always taken care of me, and now she has let me be the emperor's adoptive mother. I don't know how to repay the great kindness! I am willing to serve the queen mother as a slave."

"Okay, it was a happy thing at first, but your crying made me feel uncomfortable." Fu Jinzhan said kindly, "Your Honor is loyal and spared his life for Taizu. The descendants of the Du family are also loyal and brave. How can I treat you poorly?"

Du Meiren immediately said: "My younger brother was greatly favored by the court, and I took care of him, he listened to me very much. If he has the slightest intention of disobeying the Queen Mother, I will break his leg..."

Fu Jinzhan said with a smile: "I think Du Chenggui is also a well-educated man, so you can rest assured of him."

At this moment, the palace lady came in with tea, and Du Meiren hurried up and said softly, "I'll come."

Fu Jinzhan smiled with his beautiful crooked eyes, turned a deaf ear, picked up a memorial on the table and read it again. Li Yu’s memorandum asked the Zhou Dynasty to protect him; he said that if he became the lord of the country in the future, he would recognize Da Zhou as the suzerain in the name of the lord of the south of the Yangtze River, and pay 1.2 million guan of property at a time, and 800,000 guan of tribute every year in the future...

"I heard that Zhou Ehuang is good at dancing, and the Ai family invited her to perform dances in the palace." Fu Jinzhan murmured, picked up the ink pen and wrote it down.

...

Zhou Xian was quickly taken to the ceremony hall in the south of the imperial city and met Li Yu.

Zhou Xian hurriedly asked: "Did the imperial court reply to your husband's memorial?" Li Yu handed over the memorial and said, "I don't know what to do, I just let Ehuang enter the palace to perform dances. I don't know what the purpose is..."

"It should be a secret test of your husband's submissive attitude." Zhou Xian said softly, "It is also a kind of humiliation! My husband is a nobleman of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but it is not honorable to ask his wife to dance for the Queen Mother of Zhou Dynasty."

Li Yu pondered and said: "It's just a matter of being angry under the fence. I'm afraid it's not just dancing."

As soon as Zhou Xian remembered what happened that day, he hurriedly said: "The former emperor of the Zhou Dynasty passed away. The current monarch is a child of a certain age, and there are no men in the harem."

Li Yu said: "The queen mother can call ministers into the palace... such as her brother-in-law Guo Shao."

Hearing this, Zhou Xian's heart skipped a beat, his legs went limp from fright, and he gritted his teeth so as not to show any suspicious behavior. She pondered for a moment and said: "Probably not..."

"How do you know?" Li Yu frowned.

Zhou Xian said kindly: "Then Guo...Guo Shao is the Queen Mother's brother-in-law, how can he do such a thing?" Seeing Li Yu's face in pain, she whispered, "Why don't we go?"

"I never saw the queen mother before." Li Yu gritted his teeth with difficulty, "I still have to go, I have to go. You have to prepare, and you will enter the palace in the afternoon."

Zhou Xian went into the inner room, randomly picked out a dance that he was familiar with in the Southern Tang Kingdom, and prepared clothes. Thinking that Guo Shao has already succeeded, he seems to be a sincere person, and he will not continue to pester him without promises, right? Now I recalled Guo Shao's behavior that night, and now I think that this matter should be just that the Queen Mother wanted to subdue Li Yu and humiliate him deliberately.

Why did you mention Guo Shao again? Zhou Xian wanted to forget about this person and never see him again! But countless details emerged in his mind, every temperature and every touch of his lips and fingers on the skin was very profound, and Zhou Xian suddenly felt his face was very hot.

She put the dance dress in her hand back into the box, sat back on the chair softly, and took a long breath before realizing that the skirt was very uncomfortable, and she really wanted to take a bath first. But now it's too late, so I have to change into a small coat.

Zhou Xian said to himself silently: He is a devil! He will destroy my self-esteem, noble status, and good life! I am an aristocrat of the Southern Tang Dynasty, a concubine of the royal family, in a foreign land in Tokyo, what else do I have, who am I? I will fall into the abyss! Forget about him, stay away from him!

A deep, powerful voice seemed to sound in my ear: beautiful women should not be hurt, I cherish you with great admiration, don't be afraid, I will slowly, very gently, relax, don't be nervous...

Zhou Xian suddenly covered his ears, bit his teeth lightly, and almost uttered a sound: The Zhou Dynasty was a country that experienced countless turmoil. It changed every ten years, and there were countless fights and mutinies! This is a violent, turbulent and evil place, and the people here are all evil and barbaric people who only know how to prey on the strong! He is a martial artist, an executioner! I despise him and hate everything about him!

But Zhou Xian seemed to smell a light and deep-rooted scent, which was clean and pleasant, and it seemed to be imprinted in her heart, lingering and lingering... That clear and pitying gaze was like a brush stroking her trembling and timid soul.

She made up her mind and shook her head vigorously: It's just a person who has only met once, and it is nothing more than lust. I am a well-educated aristocrat, people are emotional and intelligent, not beasts, not living for a little desire.

Besides, how can a warrior compare with the talented Li Yu? Zhou Xian firmly believed that she was a woman who valued love and righteousness, and immediately recalled her love and vows with Li Yu.

At this moment, Li Yu suddenly walked in. Seeing Zhou Xian sitting in a chair in a daze, he said, "Ehuang, what are you doing, hurry up. Now we have something to ask, so we can't be late."

Zhou Xian walked up, hugged Li Yu's waist hard, choked up and said, "Husband, why don't you go?"

"Women change their faces faster than the sky, didn't they agree, what's wrong with you?" Li Yu asked hurriedly.

Zhou Xian said in a trembling voice: "I just recalled the pledge of eternal love we talked about... Now, only the sincerity of my husband can make me endure. What you said, life and death, are all from the bottom of my heart?"

Li Yu said: "Of course, you don't have to doubt my affection for Ehuang. I'm already like this now, and I can't even be human...will I change my mind?"

Zhou Xiandao: "It's okay, I'm not a lewd woman, I only care about my husband's affection for me."

"Then stop thinking about it, after this difficulty, I may be able to be the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and I will love you even more in the future, so that you can enjoy endless glory and wealth." Li Yu patted her on the back tenderly.

Zhou Xian let out a long breath and laughed through his tears: "It's great to have a husband who loves me wholeheartedly...I will help you and not offend the Queen Mother."

The two packed up and waited, and then they heard the report that the officials received by Zhou Ting had arrived. Li Yu straightened his hat, took his wife into the carriage, and left the ceremony hall.

He got off the carriage and wanted to meet the officials who received him, but suddenly he saw a line of armored horse infantry outside, and Li Yu was taken aback. On a tall horse, a young military general with good features bent over and cupped his fists and said: "The last general, the commander of the inner palace, Du Chenggui, is ordered to escort the distinguished guests of the Southern Tang Dynasty to the palace for an audience."

Li Yu hurriedly cupped his hands in return: "Thank you for the grace of the Queen Mother."

"Open the way for the sixth son of the Southern Tang Dynasty!" Du Chenggui shouted, "Please!"

A tall and fierce man near the door drew out his sword with a "swish", and then two neat rows of armored men turned around, and with a "click!", they raised their cherry guns and faced the road without moving.

Li Yu was taken aback suddenly, and his shoulders trembled slightly when he heard the sound of powerful footsteps.

The atmosphere suddenly became full of threats and violence. Zhou Xian gently lifted the curtain of the car to peek out at the scene outside, and saw soldiers standing like iron, all of them were elite soldiers. These battles seemed to be a show of force, and she also realized that the Southern Tang Kingdom could not easily become an enemy of Da Zhou.

When Li Yu got in the car, the group was guarded by elite soldiers and entered the gate of the imperial city safely. The forbidden soldiers inside and outside were solemn and solemn, not at all like the turmoil just happened. The generals who inspected the printed military orders were very well-behaved, and the soldiers on both sides stood upright with their heads held high, and the team was neat and tight.

"Xuan, Li Yu, the envoy of the Southern Tang Kingdom, is waiting to see you!" a voice shouted.

Zhou Xian wore a veiled hat and was supported by Li Yu to get out of the carriage. She looked up, and saw the vast and domineering hall towering over the clouds. The monotonous and domineering building was much larger than the palace city of the Southern Tang Kingdom, but it seemed a bit dull and dull. There are not even flowers and plants around, and the only few trees are bare.

Sure enough, it is a violent country. It does not pay attention to culture at all, but only advocates force and grandeur.

Under the guidance of the eunuch, the two did not enter the main hall, but directly entered the back hall of Jinxiang Hall from the corridor. Finally entering a spacious palace, Zhou Xian took off the veil and walked in behind Li Yu.

I saw a curtain hanging on the upper position, and a person was sitting faintly inside; behind the curtain was a huge screen, and in front of it was a wooden platform. The palace people on both sides were respectful.

Li Yu knelt on the ground first, followed by Zhou Xian. There is no way out, the Southern Tang Kingdom is a vassal, the Great Zhou is the suzerain state, and the Queen Mother is now equivalent to the co-lord of the world.

"The minister Li Yu kowtowed to the queen mother, and the queen mother's life is boundless." Zhou Xian followed Li Yu to meet.

The person behind the curtain said: "Let's be flat, please sit down."

Zhou Xian heard a very tactful and quiet voice, and felt that the Queen Mother of Zhou Dynasty was not very old, and most likely she was a beauty. According to Zhou Xian's experience, a woman with a good voice may not necessarily be beautiful, but her tone and demeanor can show her self-approval. The queen mother must be beautiful, so she is so confident, and there is an indescribable style in her domineering tone.

Zhou Xian thought to himself: Even if you are powerful and beautiful, you are still a widow at a young age, at least I still have someone who loves me.

Thinking of this, she felt a little more balanced in her heart, and she didn't feel that she was inferior to the Queen Mother of Zhou Dynasty.