It had been five days since the identity boundary breakthrough. Since that night, Yan Chu had never had a chance to contact the eldest princess in private. The other party seemed to be avoiding him and unwilling to meet him.
At this time, it was only four or five days before they reached Jiang’s border.
These days, Yan Chu had been thinking about what kind of feelings the eldest princess had for the original self. Did her words were from the bottom of her heart or with ulterior motives?
After all, he did not have the memory of the original self, and it seemed that there was no eldest princess in the memory of the other party’s first 16 years. If the eldest princess liked the original self, it indeed puzzled Yan Chu.
However, the pious, happy, desperate, calm eyes when the other party kissed him that night have been recurring in his mind. If such strong, unexpressed emotions were only acting, it was positively more excellent acting than the film empress. Yan Chu intuitively knew that those feelings were real and pure.
Combined with the behavior of the second princess, Yan Chu felt that the princess whom Emperor Zhou said to his paternal grandmother and mother pleading for him, probably this eldest princess, who was sitting in the bridal procession going to Jiang. It was not the second princess who was loved by thousands of people.
On the contrary, the second princess made a supreme effort to restrain her disgust, and the other party immediately married Fu Cong after he lost power. It made him wonder whether the other party had made great efforts and was involved in framing him for the crime of treason.
After all, those who could imitate the original self’s handwriting should be those who were very familiar with his writing. Zhou Mingzhu, who grew up with Yan Chu since childhood, might have such a skill.
Therefore, Yan Chu was worthy of being the host that 007 was optimistic about. Without the original self’s memory and the general plot of the world, he could also connect the mainline of the story through some details that no one else could perceive.
On that night, he read the note handed by the eldest princess. It was packed with names densely. Some of them, whose original self also had an impression, were the palace maids and court eunuchs who served both the Emperor and Empress of Zhou as well as the princes.
He feared that what had been written on that piece of paper was all Zhou Mingli’s contacts had developed in Zhou for so many years. If it had not been for seeing this note with his own eyes, he dreaded no one would have believed that the eldest princess, who had always been neglected by everyone, managed such a force in Zhou.
Although she seemed to look a little young and scattered, ants often bit the elephant to death. Sometimes those big names were defeated by these people who were unassuming in past days.
This friendship was so great that Yan Chu did not know how to repay the kindness.
Especially after the kiss the night before, Yan Chu suddenly felt somewhat disgusted for him to send that girl to marry that old man of Jiang personally.
He thought that before he arrived in Jiang, he had to meet Zhou Mingli again. If she did not want to, he might be able to help her leave.
Although there were still a lot of follow-up problems that would affect his plan, he was a man, and he was not ready to rely on a woman to sacrifice her happiness to win.
Therefore, although it was a little immoral, in the evening when the night was dark and the wind was strong, Yan Chu still chose to visit the princess’ room at night.
“Who?”
Zhou Mingli’s vigilance was higher than he imagined. Almost instantly, when he entered the room, Zhou Mingli immediately woke up. She quickly picked up the dagger under the pillow and was about to shout.
Fortunately, Yan Chu was agile and soon came to Zhou Mingli’s bedside and covered her mouth.
This act made him into a rapist.
Looking at this figure, which was very familiar even in the dark, Zhou Mingli immediately recognized the visitor and put down the dagger that had hidden behind her.
Yan Chu felt that the other party’s relaxed expression knew that the other party had recognized him, and immediately put his hand down because he knew that the other party would not call anyone.
“What are you doing*24doing*from 干 [gàn] that can mean as to do or to f*ck (vulgar) here?”
Zhou Mingli’s fist tightened a little, avoiding opening her eyes, daring not to look at him.
“If you don’t want to marry Emperor Jiang, I can take you away.”
A familiar voice rang in Zhou Mingli’s ear. After listening to the other party’s words, her eyes were somewhat sore, but she still refused without hesitation.
“As long as I’m marrying him, I’ll be the Great Empress Jiang. Why would I be unwilling?”
The other party was the leader of the bridal procession. If she had an accident, Yan Chu had to bear the blame. Therefore, she must not let the other party act irrationally. What was more, in Zhou Mingli’s opinion, this might be just the compensation after the other party saw the list of personnel she gave him.
She had not imagined that her love was reciprocated with her only with a kiss that day. After all, in her heart, Yan Chu’s most loved thing was his family and barracks, and Zhou Mingzhu was probably the second favorite.
“When I was in Zhou, I wasn’t valued by everyone. So long ago, I wanted to experience what it’s like to be a person of high position, and Emperor Jiang could satisfy me. Even if he’s already old, as the empress, no matter which prince succeeded to the throne, I would be the authoritative and fair empress dowager, a person above ten thousand people.”
Zhou Mingli forced herself to make an arrogant and lofty expression. This kind of look, in the Zhou Imperial Palace, she was used to it, already skilled at this.
“Then why did you kiss me that day?” Yan Chu asked in a muffled voice.
“Because you used to be Zhou Mingzhu’s fiancé, I just want to know what it’s like of the man she used to like.”
Zhou Mingli licked her lips, showing a disdainful smile, “Unfortunately, it’s no more than this.”
Her current performance was heartless enough, and as she desired, Yan Chu took a profound look at her and turned away, never saying a word.
After he left, Zhou Mingli buried her face in the quilt. She knew how proud and confident the other party was. Now, the other party could accept her gift with ease, and would not do anything stupid.
On the next way, Yan Chu did not come to see Zhou Mingli again. She told herself that this was the best result, but she was still depressed day by day.
When she arrived at Jiang’s capital, she lost several pounds and took off a trace of childish color, which was more beautiful and thrilling.
Jiang was different from Zhou. It was formed by the amalgamation of many foreign countries at first, including the royal family. All of them had foreign country blood. Zhou Mingli’s appearance got questioned in Zhou’s parliament for her impure blood, but in Jiang, no one would care.
Therefore, when Zhou Mingli appeared in the Imperial Palace, not only Jiang’s emperor was delighted with his new wife, but also Jiang’s several princes were also somewhat tempted.
Jiang’s traditional practice was known as crude and had always maintained the tradition of father death and son succession. In this inheritance was not only a mere the inheriting the elders’ wealth but also the harem. Of course, all of this, based on the agreement of those wives and concubines.
Emperor Jiang was known to be not young anymore, perhaps not a few years to live, and at that time, this Zhou’s princess was still beautiful and had experienced the men’s nourishment, which was the most mature and attractive time.
Emperor Jiang was also a man. How could he not see the idea of his sons? Somewhat dissatisfied, but not unhappy that the other side coveted his women because some of his old concubines inherited from his Emperor Father. What he was not happy about was that he had not died yet, and the other party was already looking forward to his death.
For this reason, Emperor Jiang lost his temper on the wedding day and harshly reprimanded several princes.
Zhou Mingli was sitting in the palace prepared for her by Emperor Jiang. Looking at the magnificent bedroom and herself in the red wedding dress, she thought that Yan Chu should have left Jiang’s capital by now.
In addition to the dowry personnel, the bridal procession would leave after they delivered the princess to Jiang. Because Zhou’s bridal procession had a lot of people, Jiang might not be happy to keep that many Zhou soldiers in their capital. Furthermore, 10,000 elite soldiers were not small. The reason why such a large number of staff transferred from the garrison was just that they wanted to express the importance of this political marriage with Zhou. Now they have to hurry back.
“Prin, princess.”
Zhou Mingli’s maid rushed in and looked a little alarmed, “Emperor Jiang—is dead—”
“What!” Zhou Mingli lifted the veil and stood up. She had not started yet, and the other party unexpectedly was already dead.
The maid looked at her with astonishment. Just as soon as she was married, she had already begotten the stormy pain of widowhood. She was thinking about how to console her poor Her Highness princess.
The original crimson decorations got removed one by one, and Zhou Mingli changed her red wedding dress to a black and white mourning dress, which belonged to Empress Dowager’s regulations.
Before Emperor Jiang died, she was already an empress, so when the other party died, she became an empress dowager rightfully. At this point, whoever managed to become the emperor, was unable to change it.
The cause of Emperor Jiang’s death was also strange. On the exultation day, perhaps it was because he was thrilled to marry a beautiful girl, he could not help but drink a few more cups of wine and pull some dancing girls to sleep directly in the back palace hall.
This whole night, Emperor Jiang was expressly bold and powerful. Regardless of his age and needed to take good care of his body, he asked for a dozen dancers in a row. Until the end, he foamed and fell on the belly of a dancer.
This kind of death was too disgraceful. Insiders suspected that Emperor Jiang had taken some aphrodisiac drugs. But a dozen of the imperial physicians’ examinations did not check out any problems. The only result was that Jiang Guo drank too much wine, momentarily did not restrain, and had a sudden death of sexual intercourse.
After all, the system’s product never failed to hit Emperor Jiang’s p****. This toy was better for young and vigorous youths, but that was not a good thing, rather fatal for a rotten old fellow who was over 50 years old.
However, apart from Yan Chu and his several spies in Jiang, Zhou Mingli was now the only one who knew about it.
At this moment, Zhou Mingli looked at the letter delivered to her by an unknown little maid when she changed clothes, and she could not help but feel at ease.
As an empress, unlike other imperial concubines in the harem, she must be mourning Emperor Jiang for three years. During these three years, the next emperor could not marry her.
Not to mention the sudden death of Emperor Jiang, had he ever sealed the crown prince and left any posthumous edict or last words of the dying? Several older princes were about to become fighting cocks. Their top priority was the affair of hegemony. Who cared about a beauty who could be eaten sooner or later?
Zhou Mingli’s life was so tranquil.
In truth, this was also the result of Yan Chu’s sophisticated thinking. He had a lot to do afterward and did not have to care about Zhou Mingli. If the Harmony Princess76Harmony Princessrefers to the princess or emperor’s princess who has been married to another country in history was missing, there would be countless people from Zhou and Jiang looking for her when he hid her. There were also various problems in marrying Jiang, at least in terms of primary security issues, which no need to be considered for the time being.
Men in this era had some inexplicable self-confidence and looked down on women. They did not know that women were often crueler than men. However, based on this point, as long as Jiang and Zhou were not in opposition, they would not displace Zhou’s princess, and at that time, Yan Chu would not let the other party suffer any harm.
In six months, many things happened. For example, Princess Mingzhu married Fu Cong, and Fu Cong left for Zhou’s border town in the second month after he became emperor’s son-in-law.
Another example was that Emperor Zhou wanted to incorporate Young General Yan, but he refused because he was still seriously injured. He had been healing in his residence. However, after a long time of recovery, outsiders seemed to have gradually forgotten his existence.
“Boom—boom—boom—”
It was not known since when Old Madam Yan enchanted by abstaining from eating meat and praying to Buddha. At this moment, she was in the Yan family’s ancestral hall, and the old wet nurse notably quietly came in. When the other party stopped the movement of her hand, only then she whispered to her ear and said.
“Old Lady, Young General is gone.”
“Alright, I know.”
A trace of complexity flashed through Old Madam Yan’s eyes. She looked at the family tablets engraved with the names of martyred heroes inscribed by emperors of past dynasties in the ancestral hall. She sighed, closed her eyes, and continued the scripture that she had not just finished.
Almost not long after that, Third Lady Yan also came in. She knelt on the mat beside the old madam, holding a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, and chanted.
The people who knew you most were your family members. Although Yan Chu did not say anything, Old Madam Yan and Third Lady Yan knew it, but they finally chose to connive.
Because of that matter, it was not only their grandchildren/son’s hearts that were hurt but also theirs.
Ancient times were different from modern times. If there was any news on the Internet, you could know it by phone. In ancient times when communication depended on letters, it took half a month to a month to convey a message with a longer distance. If someone stopped midway, it would take even longer.
Ming was at its proudest moment. Initially, they were still passively trapped in the surprise attack of the young general surnamed Yan of Zhou. They did not know what was wrong with Zhou’s people. They suddenly told the army off to withdraw and arrested Young General Yan. It said that they suspected that he was conspiring with Jiang and also crippled.
According to the appearance of the young general fighting at all costs on the battlefield, to say he was a spy of Jiang, was Zhou’ people having a problem with their brains? However, this was a good thing, for Ming, without one formidable enemy, there were ten more cities.
In the first few months, Ming was still alert. Later, they gradually relaxed. After all, Zhou gave them the impression that they had a hole in their brains. Now that the only useful Yan Chu had been abandoned by themselves, why fear them? They could only restore their national strength and would conquer Zhou.
The people guarding the city were careless and faced with the sudden emergence of Zhou’s army, the ten cities that initially robbed scarcely time to fall into the enemy hands. On the one hand, Ming’s army, which was negligent regarding army training, was not very powerful. On the other hand, they did not know how long they had practiced hard and won several battles in a row, and the army’s morale was good enough. It was obvious who would win or lose from the two sides.
When the news of the war broke out at the border station reached Zhou’s capital, it happened accompanied by several reports of a victory.
“How did Fu Cong also learn from Yan Chu? He started a war with Ming without saying anything to me.”
Even though Emperor Zhou was a good-tempered emperor, he was a little unhappy this time. If it were not for this good news that the ten ceded cities had recaptured and captured two cities for Zhou, perhaps, he would have been more than unhappy.
“Emperor Father, in fact, my husband’s act this time, has already consulted with this subject child.”
Zhou Mingzhu’s eyes were beaming with joy. She knew that her beloved man could not match that person’s ability. Besides, she and he had analyzed the March characteristics and also coping methods of Ming’s generals before the other party set out. It was only a matter of time to conquer Ming.
Zhou Mingzhu did not think it was wrong to teach Fu Cong with the secrets she heard from Yan Chu before. She seemed to have seen Fu Cong’s fame. She was pregnant with their child, who was unfortunately killed by the Yan slut in her former incarnation, and then their family of three had a happy life.
In the presence of her Emperor Father and imperial elder brother, Zhou Mingzhu explained her and Fu Cong’s plan in detail and repeatedly expressed that Fu Cong was not deeply rooted in the army. He was improbable to destabilize the rule of the royal family Zhou like the Yan family at all. After dispelling the suspicion of her imperial elder brother Crown Prince, Zhou Mingzhu lived in the palace in a joyful mood. Anyway, she was the only master in the General and Princess Residence now. It was the same whether she went back or not.
The reports of a victory came day by day, and the faces of Zhou’s commoners were full of joy. Everyone praised General Fu and thought that he was indeed an extraordinary general.
It was a month later when Zhou’s royal family received this news. When the war between Zhou and Ming reached Jiang’s ear, it was delayed for another month, forming a two-month time difference. When they knew about it, Zhou’s army had almost reached Ming’s capital.
It had been eight months since the death of Emperor Jiang.
The first imperial consort’s Eldest Prince, the second imperial consort’s Third Prince and Fifth Prince, the favorite senior concubine of the late Emperor’s Seventh Prince, as well as the Fourth Prince and Ninth Prince, all of them had an equally prominent maternal family background.
Everyone wanted to be the emperor, and no one would accept anyone, felt that they were the most qualified. At this time, Jiang ignored other countries. After all, its affairs had not been dealt with thoroughly.
For the whole eight months, Jiang had not been able to establish a new emperor. The third and ninth prince, the least powerful of the six princes, was assassinated. Everyone knew that it must be the other living princes’ doing. Their maternal family was not happy that their prince, who came out of their own family, died so indistinctly, and hated those who were still alive.
For the remaining four, the fifth prince was lame in one leg, and the fourth prince was blind in one eye, leaving the eldest prince and the seventh prince as the two most sound princes. After knowing that Zhou and Ming were fighting, the two princes were still somewhat rejoiced because Jiang had become a complete mess because of the internal strife. Initially, they were anxious that Zhou and Ming would act in cooperation to rise in revolt towards them. As it now seemed that they were consuming each other over there. There was no basis at all.
The news they knew at this time was that Zhou and Ming had just started a war. In their mind, the two countries evenly matched. Neither Zhou nor Ming would be so likely to invade and occupy another side. Where did they know, within two months, Zhou’s army had already attacked Ming’s capital?
By the time the seventh prince finally defeated his elder brother by a narrow margin, Emperor Zhou had already decorated the neighborhood with lanterns and colored banners to welcome the arrival of their hero General Fu, Fu Cong.
Zhou Mingzhu stood outside the city wall quite early, looking at the army in the distance happily. She knew that one, who was riding on a high horse, that about to receive ten thousand people’s allegiance was her husband, her sweetheart.
As the army drew closer, the figure became more and more distinct. The expression on Zhou Mingzhu’s face changed from joy and shyness expectation at the beginning to ice-cold and pale.
Similar to her, many commoners were watching.
Wasn’t it said that General Fu took them to a big victory? So how did the troop’s leader now seem to be Young General Yan, who had not appeared for a long time and rumored to be hiding behind the closed door in his residence?
The commoners, who initially had been looking forward to it, lost their fire in a short while. Their heart was still excited but suddenly did not know who to cheer.
Zhou Mingzhu’s brain turned quickly. Even when in the most complicated mood at the moment, she had already guessed the current situation. Should she say that the man was worthy of being that man feared by her imperial elder brother in her former incarnation? To be able to strike back under such a dangerous spot. It could only be said that she was too soft-hearted and left such a scourge behind.
However, she was quite glad about her way of handling back then. Yan Chu might do this for vengeance, but in the other’s heart, she was still that girl who loved him dearly but was impeded by imperial power and had to change to somebody else.
Zhou Mingzhu took a few deep breaths and forced herself to show her happy and excited emotion in her eyes. She had not lost yet, still had a chance to return.
