It’s the winter solstice again, and heavy snow is falling all over the sky, and it hasn’t stopped for three consecutive days.
Midnight is approaching, and even the most prosperous capital city now has a thick layer of snow on the ground.
On the streets of Yingdu, two patrolling officers and soldiers were walking cautiously, and the only sound heard around them was their footsteps.
In the darkness, a chestnut horse suddenly galloped past, running several feet away in an instant.
The two of them looked back in panic, and saw a woman in red sitting right away, whipping the horse severely with a whip. Her hair was blown in all directions by the cold wind.
It's half an hour before midnight, and today is the deadline. How can Huan Ci not panic?
She traveled day and night, almost without stopping, and finally arrived in the capital. How could she fail in just half an hour?
"I am Huan Ci, the daughter of King Dingyuan. I have been ordered to come to Beijing to meet with His Majesty. Please go and inform me as soon as possible."
Before she could reach the palace gate, Huan Ci started shouting. She was really impatient.
However, the officers and soldiers on guard were unmoved. They all stood with serious expressions and turned a blind eye to the sudden appearance of the woman.
After hastily reining in the reins, Huan Ciying stood up and dismounted in a graceful manner, and walked quickly towards the officers and soldiers standing in front of the door.
"This eldest brother, I am Huan Ci, the daughter of King Dingyuan. I have been ordered to go to Beijing to meet with His Majesty. Today is the deadline. Please be accommodating and inform me." She looked pitiful.
Looking at the officer and soldier, he quietly handed him a heavy piece of silver.
Unfortunately, the officer and soldier hurriedly put their hands behind their backs and did not dare to accept Huan Ci's bribe.
Nowadays, anyone in the capital who loves to chatterbox knows that Wang Huanyuan, the only person with a different surname who was famous in the past, is in dire straits. Today, his only daughter Princess Ding'an suddenly came to Beijing. It is not difficult to guess the reasons.
Besides——
The officer and soldier stood up straight and said righteously: "Now the key to the palace gate has been released. Princess, please come back tomorrow."
Huan Ci pursed his lips, glanced at the others who were unmoved, suddenly lifted up his robe, knelt on the snow, and kowtowed three times toward the palace door.
"Huan Ci, Princess of Ding'an County, has an urgent report from the frontier to submit. Please summon your Majesty."
Seeing her like this, the officers and soldiers were no longer as calm as before, and panicked and gestured to the people looking down on the city wall.
Huan Ci breathed a sigh of relief and silently supported her right shoulder, which was particularly injured.
The unreasonable snowflakes were still flying, hitting the woman kneeling in the snow without mercy.
Huan Ci felt that she had been waiting for a long time, and then the palace door creaked open from the inside.
"Princess Huan, please come with me quickly. Your Majesty is waiting at Lingwu Palace." A man with a handsome face stepped forward and helped Huan Ci up.
This man is a eunuch.
Huan Ci made a quick judgment.
Her father asked her to find an eunuch named Li Qi, but he didn't give her enough clues.
The corridors in the palace were long and dark. At this moment, Huan Ci felt like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth.
Finally, when the light in front of him became brighter and brighter, Huan Ci came to the famous Lingwu Hall, which is now the palace of Zong Zhengyuan, the emperor of the Great Rong Dynasty.
Finally arriving before the deadline, Huan Ci breathed a sigh of relief and walked quickly towards the palace.
"My maid has seen Your Majesty." She kowtowed obediently to the figure blocked by the screen on the steps.
The warm breath in the palace finally rushed to her. Huan Ci, who had not received a response for a long time, couldn't help but look up, only to find that there was more than one figure behind the screen.
"What's your urgent report?"
The emperor's bell-like voice suddenly rang out, causing Huan Ci to come back to his senses and blurt out the words he had prepared: "Your Majesty, according to the news that I received three days ago, Yunzhou has now fallen, and 20,000 officers and soldiers of our army have died.
, and please Your Majesty to send troops for reinforcements as soon as possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man's chuckle suddenly came from behind the screen.
Huan Ci didn't feel depressed. This man could actually laugh at such sad things.
In the past few years, she had heard rumors that Zong Zhengyuan was very masculine. Maybe she came at the wrong time and ruined their good deeds, but how could this voice be familiar?
"Since you arrived in the capital on time, I will definitely send troops for reinforcements as agreed. But I don't know the specific situation yet, so you have to say more." Zong Zhengyuan said in an unclear tone.
Asking him to send troops for reinforcements was the purpose of Huan Ci's trip. She straightened up quickly and explained the current situation concisely.
"What do you think of Fu Aiqing?" After listening to her words, Zong Zhengyuan ignored her and asked the man next to him instead.
"If General Huan doesn't tell the truth, it will be difficult for the subordinate officials to help His Majesty solve his problems."
As soon as the man's cold voice sounded, Huan Ci felt his kneeling body tremble.
This voice was so familiar to her. If she was just a little skeptical when she heard the emperor call him Fu Aiqing, now she is almost certain that this person is Fu Shen, who has a close relationship with her.
The two of them had not seen each other for more than three years. Although they had heard about his rapid rise in recent years, they really did not expect to see him today, let alone that he would appear in the emperor's palace in the middle of the night.
Is it possible that this person has taken refuge with Zong Zhengyuan? What about the two of them?
Huan Ci thought sadly, completely unaware of the deep gaze of the man behind the screen.
"Everything I said is true, your Majesty, please check carefully." After regaining his composure, Huan Ci hurriedly defended himself.
If Fu Shen had intervened in this matter, it would have been even more difficult. She was willing to admit that what happened three years ago was all her fault, but she had never regretted it. If Fu Shen wanted to take revenge on her, she would not say a word.
Complaining. But if her father is involved, then she will definitely not give in.
"Princess Ding'an, if you still want to save your father, tell everything truthfully." Zong Zhengyuan said in a low voice.
Huan Ci sighed secretly and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you in the slightest. My father only has one heir, my daughter. To show my sincerity, I am willing to live in the capital forever. I also ask your majesty to send troops to rescue my father."
.”
There was no movement in the hall for a long time, Huan Ci lowered her head, and the pain on her shoulders made her tremble slightly.
"If I put you in the harem, would you be willing?"
The sudden sound above her head made Huan Ci step back in panic. She looked up, and at some point Fu Shen walked up to her and looked at her expressionlessly.
Such a perspective made Huan Ci a little embarrassed, and she hung her head in a hurry. Fu Shen's words suddenly exploded in her mind, making her breathing quicken.
It's not like she hasn't thought about this situation before, but she always feels very disgusted when she hears it with her own ears.
"I do." She said softly.
After she took that step three years ago, she could never look back.