The black-clothed leader said solemnly: "Captain Niu, these two men have committed a serious crime. Our internal guards have been ordered to arrest them. I hope you can cooperate."
Captain Niu ignored him, walked directly to Wang Chen and his wife, stared at the bull's eyes and said: "You said you have a token from His Highness King Zhou, take it out and show it to me!"
Wang Chen immediately took out the token and handed it over.
Niu Yong looked at it for a while and suddenly asked a deputy next to him in a low voice: "What is written on it?"
The deputy took a look and whispered: "Brother Niu, it has the words "Prince Zhou's Mansion" written on it. It should be genuine."
Their voices were so low that no one heard them.
Niu Yong laughed and said: "Okay, it is indeed the commander's token. Brother, what is your name?"
"I'm Wang Shen."
Niu Yong asked again: "Is the handsome man in good health?"
Wang Chen said hurriedly: "The commander-in-chief is in good health."
This simple sentence actually made Niu Yong's eyes turn red.
He rubbed his nose and then patted Wang Chen on the shoulder with the hand he was rubbing.
"Brother Wang holds the Marshal's belt, so he must be a close confidant of the Marshal. Although I have been away from Beijing for many years, I also served as a personal soldier of the Marshal. Later, we two brothers will have a good drink and get close to each other!"
Wang Chen cupped his hands and said, "If Brother Niu hadn't arrived in time today, my husband and I would have died in the hands of water bandits. I should have invited Brother Niu to drink!"
Niu Yong glared and shouted: "It's his grandma's fault, these water bandits have eaten the leopard's guts."
He turned to his deputy and ordered: "Brother Lin, please pass on my military order to cut off the head of the thief and hang it at the gate of the county town for three months!"
The deputy hurriedly said: "Brother Niu, if you show it to the public for too long, I'm afraid it will smell bad and affect people's livelihood."
When Niu Yong heard the words "affecting people's livelihood", he immediately changed his mind: "Then three days."
At this time, the leader in black walked over with a livid face.
"Captain Niu, I just said that this couple is the criminal we want to arrest. I hope you can cooperate!"
Niu Yong had a bad temper and immediately said angrily: "Fuck you! Brother Wang holds the commander's token. You have taken the courage of a leopard. You dare to arrest even the commander. Believe it or not, I will kill you first."
Catch him!"
The leader in black said sadly: "Commander Niu, our secret guards are from Her Majesty the Queen Mother. If you dare to arrest us, are you going to rebel?"
Niu Yong raised his head and laughed, then his face changed and he cursed loudly.
"You bitch, when you Master Niu followed the commander to the battlefield, you didn't know where you were. You dared to slander me for being a rebel. Believe it or not, I will tie you up and throw you into the water to feed you to the bastard!"
The black-clothed leader took a step back and said sternly: "Commander Niu, these two people are the ones Her Majesty the Queen Mother personally pointed out. If you dare to defend them, you are going against Her Majesty the Queen Mother!"
Niu Yong said nonchalantly: "Don't give me a taste of the Queen Mother! If the Queen Mother really orders the arrest of His Royal Highness King Zhou's people, then it will be the Queen Mother's fault!"
The leader in black gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, Captain Niu, I will tell the truth to the Queen Mother what you said today. Don't deny it then!"
Just as Niu Yong was about to say "Whatever you say, I'm still afraid of you", the adjutant beside him suddenly said:
"Captain Cai, when we arrested those water bandits just now, they said you ordered them to attack merchant ships!"
The black-clothed leader's expression changed and he said coldly: "Can you believe what these bandits say?"
The adjutant said: "If you report today's events to the Queen Mother, we will also report your collusion with the water bandits to His Highness the King of Zhou. We still don't know who will be more unlucky by then."
The black-clothed leader gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, very good, I guess you guys will be cruel!"
He turned around and took the people to get on the boat.
Li Xian was forced to leave by them, turned around and shouted: "Brother Wang, Sister-in-law Wang, please help me!"
Wang Chen thought to himself: "We, husband and wife, have shared hardships with Li Xian all the way. It would be unjust to abandon him at this time!"
He immediately said: "Captain Niu, that is His Royal Highness the King of England. He was traveling with me and my wife all the way, but they were forcibly arrested."
Niu Yong was startled, thinking that after King Pei's rebellion, he heard that the Queen Mother intended to establish King Ying as emperor, but she was unable to implement it because King Ying was missing.
Could it be that the boy named Wang was sent by the commander to find the King of England? If I rescue the King of England, wouldn't it be a great achievement?
A pair of bull's eyes flashed with light, and he said loudly: "Keep His Majesty the King here!"
The leader in black was not willing to agree and said sternly: "The Queen Mother asked us to go back to Her Majesty King Ying. Commander Niu, if you dare to stop us, the Queen Mother will never let you go!"
Niu Yong relied on Wu Chengsi's support and was used to being arrogant. He was not afraid of anyone and only thought about meritorious service and promotion.
He shouted directly: "Do it and snatch the person over!"
His sergeants immediately stepped forward to snatch the man away. King Pei and King Yin looked at each other and understood each other's thoughts.
After a scuffle between the two groups, they took the opportunity to escape!
However, just when the two gangs were about to fight, the adjutant Niu Yong stood up again.
"Captain Cai, there are so many of us, can you please do something good if you take action against us?"
He changed the topic and said: "No matter you stop or resist, we can take the King of England back, but many things cannot be undone if you do something. You may complain to the Queen Mother, but we have no choice but to complain to His Highness the King of Zhou."
Complain."
"When the time comes, we will be blamed by Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother, and you will be blamed by His Royal Highness King Zhou. Both sides will suffer, and it will be of no benefit to anyone, right?"
Captain Cai gritted his teeth and said, "You have gone too far in bullying me. I have already given Wang Chen and his wife to you, why do you still come to seize the King of England?"
The adjutant smiled and said: "Well then, His Royal Highness is the prince, and we should let him decide who to follow."
Li Xian said without hesitation: "I will follow Brother Wang!"
The leader in black kept his cheeks trembling and remained silent.
The adjutant snorted and said, "What, could it be that Captain Cai regards the noble prince as a prisoner and wants to take him away by force?"
The leader in black stamped his feet and said sternly: "Let's go!" Li Xian was left behind, and only King Pei and King Yin got on the boat and left.
King Pei's face was ashen. As he walked, he looked up at the sky and thought to himself: "The Tang Dynasty is over."
Wang Chen, his wife and Li Xian all followed Niu Yong onto the warship.
During the banquet, Niu Yong learned that Wang Chen had been invited by Wu Chengsi to take up a post in Beijing, so he immediately volunteered to escort the three people to Beijing.
After returning to the cabin, Wang Chen talked with his wife for a while. He felt his head was dizzy, so he asked to go outside to get some fresh air.
When we got outside the cabin, we suddenly saw Li Xian leaning on the side, looking up at the night sky with a sad expression.
Wang Chen walked over slowly and said hesitantly: "You...are you really the prince?"
Li Xian glanced at him and smiled bitterly: "Don't they look alike? Many people say so. Even the eighth brother said that I am the least promising child of the Li family!"
Wang remained silent.
He was not very good at comforting people. After thinking for a while, he said: "Actually, you do look different from ordinary people. I always thought you were a child of a wealthy family, but I didn't expect you to be a prince."
Li Xian looked sad: "If I could choose, I would rather be born into an ordinary family."
Wang Chen snorted: "You have never lived an ordinary life. If you really live it for a few days, I guarantee you will swallow these words back."
Li Xian was not angry, and said with a wry smile: "Maybe. But it's hard for a prince to live long. I have seven brothers, and four of my half-brothers are dead. In a few days, I will have another child."
Lost two brothers."
Wang Chen: "Are you talking about King Pei and King Yin?"
Li Xian nodded silently.
Wang Chen frowned and said, "I think those men in black were trying to scare them. King Pei and King Yin are her biological sons after all. She shouldn't really kill them, right?"
Li Xian showed a bit of fear on his face and said:
"You don't know what kind of person my mother is, and you don't know what rebellious things my sixth brother has done. Sixth brother told me very early on that as long as my mother catches them, he will definitely kill them!"
Wang Chen was secretly shocked. This matter had nothing to do with him.
They and their wife are also the people the Queen Mother wants to kill. If the Queen Mother is really so ruthless, their chance of survival will be extremely slim.
After being silent for a while, Wang Chen suddenly said: "By the way, didn't your sixth brother kidnap you when I left the lobby? How did he get caught by those men in black?"
Li Xiandao: "At that time, Sixth Brother held me hostage and was about to escape. Unexpectedly, the ship suddenly shook. Sixth Brother lost his balance and fell down. The internal guards captured me."
Wang Chen nodded. A gust of cold wind blew, and he felt much clearer. He said hello to Li Xian and returned to his cabin.
With Niu Yong escorting them, there were no incidents along the way. A few days later, Wang and Shen finally returned to Chang'an City.
…
Chang'an, Daming Palace.
After the Rebellion of King Pei, the emperor's authority in the Daming Palace dropped to its lowest point, and even the noble concubines and concubines also lost power in the palace.
All matters, big or small, are decided by the Queen Mother.
Emperor Li Hong and his concubine Ya Ruo spent most of their time in the palace having fun and no longer interfered with court affairs. Concubine Cen Shu seldom left her palace.
Concubine Liu Defi even lived in seclusion. Except for her father Liu Qixian and her sister Liu Lanshuang who would visit her, she had almost no contact with anyone.
In contrast, although Princess Yiyang and Princess Gao'an were not favored by the Queen Mother, because they were friends with Wu Chengsi and Princess Taiping, the Queen Mother did not have any difficulty with them.
On the tenth day of December, during the Mu holiday, heavy snow fell in the sky again.
The two princesses couldn't stay in the palace any longer, so they left the palace together and went to Princess Taiping's mansion, hoping to invite Princess Taiping to go out to play in the city.
Princess Taiping said: "I have something to do today, so I will play with my two sisters another day."
Princess Gao'an complained: "Taiping, we have invited you several times recently, and you always say another day. What are you busy with!"
Princess Taiping said with a smile: "Okay, I really have something to do. If you invite me again next time, I will definitely accompany you!"
The two girls had no choice but to leave the Princess's Mansion and go to Prince Zhou's Mansion, intending to invite Liu Lanshuang.
After entering the palace, unexpectedly, Liu Lanshuang entered the palace early in the morning to see her sister.
The two women suddenly lost interest and came to the back hall, intending to say hello to Li Zhiying and then return to the palace.
While the two girls were chatting with Li Zhiying, Hong Ming suddenly came to the back hall and said, "Madam, the princess is here!"
"Invite her to the back hall."
Li Zhiying said while teasing Wu Zongxiu in her arms.
Princess Taiping entered the back hall wearing a dark blue mink cloak, with scattered snowflakes falling on her head and clothes.
As soon as they entered the room, they immediately saw Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang, and their faces suddenly looked a little embarrassed.
Princess Yiyang smiled: "Taiping, you just said you had something to do, so did you come to Prince Zhou's Mansion?"
Princess Taiping immediately explained: "No, I'm here to see my second cousin. I just went to the military camp and couldn't find him, so I was wondering if he had returned to the palace."
Li Zhiying said softly: "The prince is not in the mansion."
When Princess Taiping entered the mansion, she had already asked Wen Rong. Knowing that Wu Chengsi was not in the mansion, she immediately asked: "Cousin, do you know where your second cousin has gone?"
Li Zhiying said: "Sister Wan'er has recovered her health and can get out of bed, so my husband took her out to swim in the lake."
Princess Taiping said oh, walked to the chair and sat down, lowering her head and feeling depressed.
After Li Zhiying had a child, her personality became more kind, and she smiled and said: "Taiping, I heard from your husband that you recently went to Luoyang on the order of your aunt, right?"
Princess Taiping smiled slightly: "Second cousin, do you know what I am going to do in Luoyang?"
"Are you going to clean up the palace in Luoyang?"
Princess Yiyang frowned slightly and thought to herself, "Why are you cleaning up the palace for no reason?"
Princess Taiping smiled and said, "It's not just that." She took two steps forward, took out a map, and said, "Second cousin, what do you think this is?"
Li Zhiying glanced sideways and said with a smile: "Isn't this a map of Luoyang?"
Princess Taiping smiled and nodded.
At this time, Luoyang was the eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty, with 109 squares, a palace city called Ziwei City, and Shangyang Palace as the west palace. Its prosperity was by no means inferior to Chang'an.
Princess Taiping pointed to an inner square closest to Ziwei City, and drew two adjacent small circles with a pen in it.
"Second cousin, this is Lide Square. There are two grand palaces in the square. When we go to Luoyang, your prince's palace and my princess' palace will be chosen here. What do you think?"
Princess Yiyang's body perked up and she asked urgently: "Taiping, what do you mean by moving to Luoyang?"
Princess Taiping smiled and said: "My mother plans to move to Luoyang with the emperor's brother after the new year. Naturally, we will all follow!"
Li Zhiying didn't look too surprised, she had obviously known about it for a long time.
Princess Yiyang was surprised and happy, and thought: "If we move the capital, we can take the opportunity to ask cousins Taiping and Chengsi to intercede on our behalf, and let Gao An and I open a mansion outside."
He lowered his head and thought carefully about how to speak to Princess Taiping and Wu Chengsi.
Li Zhiying looked at the map for a while, and had her own calculation in her mind. She thought: "My grandfather is old. When he moves to Luoyang this time, it is best for the two families to live in the same house, so that they can take care of each other."
…
It was snowing heavily and the lake was frozen.
On the thick ice, Shangguan Wan'er sat on a wooden basin. The wooden basin was not big, but Shangguan Wan'er's body was even smaller. When she shrank her body, there was only a small ball.
Wu Chengsi pushed the wooden basin and rushed across the ice. Shangguan Wan'er smiled coquettishly: "Your Highness, please slow down, don't slip!"
More than ten feet away from the two of them, Feng Wu yawned and thought in boredom: "Your Highness is so boring. He is so happy to run on the ice and freeze."
The two played for a while, and Wu Chengsi was sweating profusely and finally stopped to rest.
Shangguan Wan'er wiped his sweat and said, "Your Highness, you are sweating and you can easily catch a cold. Let's stop playing."
Wu Chengsi looked at the sky and said, "It's still early, we can do something else. Is there anything in particular you want to do?"
Shangguan Wan'er was imprisoned in the palace for a long time. After entering the Zhou Dynasty, the poison remained in her body and has been raised to this day, so she was very happy when she went out this time.
He immediately said: "I want to watch a show!"
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Okay, let's go to the theater!"
The two got on the carriage and headed towards Guangling Garden.
On the carriage, Wu Chengsi suddenly said: "Wan'er, now that you are well and you don't need to live in the hospital building, I would like to arrange a separate small hospital for you. What kind of hospital do you like?"
Shangguan Wan'er waved her hands repeatedly: "No, Your Highness, I have already discussed it with Sister Xu. After I recover, I will move into her Qingzhu Courtyard."
Wu Chengsi did not force it, Shangguan Wan'er and Xu Wenqing got along unexpectedly, and he was happy to see them get along harmoniously.
Soon, the carriage drove to Guanglingyuan, and it happened that a new opera had been performed in the past few days, called "Xue Rengui's Cannons, Pulling and Changing the City".
When Wu Chengsi first came to this era, he was not very interested in opera. However, as time went by, he actually found opera to be somewhat interesting.
The three of them watched a new play together and were discussing where to go next.
Suddenly, a personal guard came to the private room, cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, Yang Tai wants to see you."
Wu Chengsi frowned. It was a rare day off and he finally got to play with Shangguan Wan'er for a day. He didn't want to be disturbed.
Shangguan Wan'er smiled and said: "Your Highness, no matter what Her Majesty the Queen Mother is doing, as long as a minister comes over, she will receive her immediately. You must learn from her on this point."
Wu Chengsi smiled bitterly and said: "My aunt is very energetic and I can't compare to her. My biggest wish now is to destroy the Japanese country and defeat Tubo. After the Turks, I put down my official duties and went to Hangzhou incognito, and live a relaxed and happy life for a few days!"
Shangguan Wan'er's eyes lit up: "Then you must take me with you!"
After a pause, he threatened: "If you don't agree, I will go to Sister Li and others to report you!"
Wu Chengsi touched his forehead and said angrily: "I really shouldn't have told you."
Shangguan Wan'er hugged his arm and smiled like a little fox: "Anyway, from now on, Wan'er will follow you wherever you go!"
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Then when I go to the military camp in the future? Will you go with me?"
Shangguan Wan'er said matter-of-factly: "Of course, I can help you write down some small things, so you don't have to spend energy on this and focus on major national affairs."
Wu Chengsi smiled and said, "Well, it would be a good idea to let you be my personal secretary."
Shangguan Wan'er asked curiously: "What is the secret?"
Wu Chengsi smiled and said nothing, turned to the bodyguard and said, "Go and ask Deputy Superintendent Yang to come in."
Yang Tai quickly followed the guards into the private room. His expression was very anxious, and he cupped his hands and said, "I have seen the prince in my humble position."
Wu Chengsi raised his hand and said, "Deputy Superintendent Yang, there is no need to be polite. Did something happen at Shenhuo Camp?"
Yang Tai said anxiously: "Your Majesty, Wang Chen and his wife have arrived in Chang'an. They... they are in danger now. Please save them, Your Majesty!"
Wu Chengsi's expression condensed, and he immediately stood up and said: "Where are they, take me there immediately!"