When Li Rong was young, she was the most wanton princess of the Li family.
Her father is the most distinguished man in Dasheng, her mother is the most distinguished woman in Dasheng, and her brother from the same mother is the crown prince of Dasheng.
What's even more rare is that her father and mother can be regarded as a pair of loving emperors and empresses of the Tian family. Li Rong has never seen any dispute or indifference between them.
However, this did not prevent her father's harem from being filled with women. Often, before Li Rong could fully recognize the old ones, a group of new ones would come in, and then the new ones would become the old ones again.
The question is that the emperor wants to balance the situation of the court and cannot help himself.
Although Li Rong couldn't figure out how his father favored the maids in the palace and sent envoys to the people to search for beautiful women, what was the hidden and profound connection between these and the balancing of the government.
When Li Rong was a little older, he finally understood the connection between them - that is, there was no connection at all.
Her father loved beauty.
The queen mother told her that this was already very good. His Majesty was just lustful but not cowardly and violent. He was diligent and caring for the people. What's more, the beauties he collected were really a feast for the eyes. They were not like her.
The queen who lives in the harem? How many times can the emperor look at her when he is busy with everything?
The queen mother lamented that taking care of the harem was very tiring, and getting up early was even more torturous. Every time she saw the concubines who came to pay her respects, they were all so pleasing to the eye, and she felt much better when she got up.
Li Rong seemed to understand the biggest reason for the love between his father, the emperor and his mother: the same interests.
As a matter of course, Li Rong, who was deeply influenced by her, developed the same interests and hobbies, as well as quite strict aesthetic standards.
The childhood life in Li Rong's memory was very lively. The beauties in the harem were all kinds of beautiful and had different temperaments. Some were bent on fawning over the queen, some were devoted to the emperor, some were bent on quarreling with other concubines, and some were unwilling to be dissatisfied with the status quo.
I want to give the emperor a little color, and I usually prefer the most vibrant oily green.
There is also a kind of concubine who does nothing, speaks almost nothing, keeps her head down all the year round, and never fights back even when others are ridiculing or stumbling upon her - in Li Rong's impression, Liu Zhaoyi is such a submissive person.
This Liu Zhaoyi was born as a palace maid and gave birth to the youngest prince for her father.
Although Liu Zhaoyi was extremely useless, no one tried to harm her son. This had a lot to do with the fact that the prince's position was too stable. It was pointless to harm a son of Zhaoyi, and the emperor was already quite old at that time, and there were no fights in the harem.
The favorite group of concubines gradually lost interest and began to think about health care. The entire harem seemed to have no interest in harming other people's children.
Liu Zhaoyi's son Li Yin was able to grow up safely in such an environment, although he was inevitably bullied and looked down upon by the princes.
In contrast, Li Rong, who was born by the queen, grew up surrounded by beautiful flowers.
This kind of crowding once gave Li Rongsheng, who was twelve or thirteen years old, some fantasies - she read the history books of Dasheng and knew that Dasheng once had an empress who was a princess. As they were both empresses, she looked at her brother as
Just like that, in that case, does she also have a chance?
Li Rong's bold fantasy did not arouse the queen's emotions at all. The queen told her daughter calmly that just because Dasheng had a female emperor, all the officials of the gentry are now strictly guarded against it and dare to have such thoughts.
I can’t guarantee anything else, but one thing is guaranteed—you’re guaranteed to survive.
At that time, the power of the gentry was at its peak, and the emperor was restrained everywhere. It was for this reason that he established a prince and crown prince early.
The emperor must first let the nobles feel at ease, then the emperor can feel at ease.
But Li Rong still likes to live, so the spark in his heart was extinguished early, and he can enjoy the glory and wealth with peace of mind.
Her brother, who was responsible for reassuring people, had a princess a year before he ascended the throne. The princess was born in the eldest Sun family, and she and her brother were childhood sweethearts, and they had a close relationship after they got married.
Later, Li Rong's marriage was not so lucky.
The princess of Tianjia was destined to have a marriage of her own accord, and at first, this marriage seemed very good.
Her consort was the son of the current Zhongshu Ling and the son of the Pei family.
This Pei family son was very talented and good-looking, but his temperament was too sensitive and thoughtful. Whenever he got along with Li Rong, his spine seemed to be broken.
Li Rong couldn't help but reflect, was he too arrogant and self-indulgent, making this noble prince-in-law feel insulted?
Li Rong thought it was very possible, but she didn't intend to change it - it was a political marriage, and she wasn't satisfied with it, but did she say anything? Happiness and sorrow are fateful, and we can live together as a team.
But things were not as simple as Li Rong imagined.
Her consort has someone outside.
But she is not a promiscuous woman, nor is she a confidant, but a man, even a monk.
Li Rong's eyes were really opened.
The co-author's consort does not have nothing in common with her. They both share a common hobby: they both like men.
The prince-in-law was obsessed with Buddhism and would go to the temple to pay homage to the Buddha and stay for a while. Li Rong was worried that the prince-in-law would fall into Buddhism, but he never thought that he would fall into Buddhism.
Li Tolerant breathed a sigh of relief, saw the opportunity, and rushed to the Zen room in the temple with the maids and guards from the princess mansion, and caught him on the spot.
Nowadays, it is not new for powerful men to secretly keep their male favorites, but this does not mean that this matter is glorious, not to mention that it is still in the holy land of Buddhism, not to mention that it is a consort.
This is a scandal, and for the proud princess Li Rong, it is a huge scandal.
This year, Li Rong was only nineteen years old.
Li Rong asked the guards to escort the two men, not allowing them to dress, and asked the maid to invite Pei Linggong and his wife to come and tell for themselves whether this was their son.
While waiting for the Pei family to arrive, Li Rong didn't take another look at the troubled two people and turned around to calm down outside.
Outside this monastery, there are several dense bodhi trees planted. Under the trees, there is an urn half as tall as a person, with water lilies planted inside. The tender green round lotus leaves in early summer float obediently on the water, giving it a tranquil Zen feel.
But Li Rong couldn't calm down no matter what. She pulled out the lotus leaves several times and threw them all on the ground. Then she scrubbed her hands vigorously over and over again. Thinking of the unbearable scene in the Zen room, she couldn't help but feel sick and retched.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She tore off the shawl that was in the way and threw it away. She scrubbed her hands until the skin was broken and she still felt that it was difficult to remove the dirt. She was full of anger.
Unable to vent her anger, she raised her foot and kicked the vat. However, whether because the vat was old or not, she kicked a big hole with just one kick. The water broke out of the vat and wet her embroidered shoes. She was frightened and lifted up her skirt and stepped back.
Suddenly, I heard a surprised voice coming from above: "Ouch——"
Li Rong was startled and looked up, only to find a young man lying on the tall and dense bodhi tree.
The other person's "ooh" sound was probably because he was surprised by her temper or her strength.
Li Rong asked angrily: "Who are you and why are you hiding here!"
I'm afraid this person is hiding here just to watch her jokes!
The young man sat up, and his appearance appeared completely in Li Rong's sight.
It was an extremely tough face, with big and black eyes. His face was full of awe and righteousness. He raised his eyebrows and asked her instead: "I'm just waiting for my general to burn incense and take a nap here! Who are you and why?"
Damage the things in the temple?”
"Ben..." Seeing that he didn't know, Li Rong didn't want to embarrass himself, so he simply didn't answer.
Just at this time, the maid who was watching from a distance ran over and said, "Your Highness, the eldest princess, are you not hurt?"
Li Rong clenched his fists...it's okay, the eldest princess is not the only one.
"Amitabha! I hope Her Royal Highness Princess Xuan'an will calm down... It's all because of my incompetence in discipline!" The abbot and abbot came in a hurry, apologizing with shame on his face.
Li Rong gritted his teeth: "..."
At this time, a shout came from not far away: "Chang Kuo! Let's go!"
"Here comes General!" the young man on the tree responded, jumped down neatly, raised his legs and walked away without looking back at Li Rong's embarrassed expression.
People's memories of making a fool of themselves always seem to be particularly profound, and Li Rong remembered this name inexplicably.
What happened after that was terrible.
Even her imperial brother, who had always doted on her, asked her to endure the matter and not make any noise about it.
Li Rong forced herself to swallow the breath, but to her surprise, her consort couldn't swallow it.
Soon after, the news came that the monk had committed suicide by throwing himself into a well. The prince-in-law became completely ill and passed away not long after.
Li Rong came back to his senses and felt that they were lovers and finally got married.
As for a couple, this is the most righteous thing a consort can do.
Thanks to this generosity, she became the youngest and most powerful widow in Dasheng.
After that, Li Rong went to the fiefdom of Xuanzhou and actually managed Xuanzhou in an orderly manner, especially the commercial business gradually flourished.
Slowly, officials began to offer male favors. Li Rong thought of the disgusting things about the consort, and saw those submissive and effeminate male favors, which made her feel unappetized. She refused again and again, until her queen mother sent someone to spread the secret.
The letter reminded her that brothers and sisters should also leave a place of peace of mind.
At that time, wars broke out frequently, the imperial court was in decline, while the Jiangnan West Road headed by Xuanzhou was prospering.
Li Rong woke up and accepted those male favorites.
At the beginning, some officials accused her of being obsessed with men in her behavior. Not only did Li Rong not restrain herself, but she also intensified her behavior and let people openly search for beautiful men.
In a blink of an eye, her imperial brother's children were getting older, and one named Li Xiao was very promising and very pleasing to the eye.
On the birthday of the Queen Mother, Li Rong returned to Beijing and met his nephew and a general accompanying him... Li Rong recognized him almost at a glance.
And the other party also recognized Li Rong.
Halfway through the banquet, Li Rong left the hall and walked up to the general. The general took two steps back, raised his hand to press the non-existent knife on his waist, and told her, the eldest princess, to respect herself with a look of reluctance.
Li Rong sneered, she didn't want to do anything at all.
After a long time, Li Rong couldn't help but think that this person might not have been playing hard to get and deliberately provoked him to try to attract her attention.
After that, they met Chang Kuo many times. Each time, Chang Kuo showed an attitude of preferring death to being proud and refusing to accept others thousands of miles away. Li Rong inquired and found out that he had made many military exploits and had been promoted one after another in official positions, but he had never gotten married.
Another year, Li Rong encountered a group of fierce bandits on his way back to Xuanzhou.
After the war, Chang Kuo, who returned home with dozens of his subordinates, descended from the sky, rescued Li Rong, and wiped out a bandit.
However, many of Chang Kuo's subordinates were also injured. This place was less than a hundred miles away from Xuanzhou. Li Rong had a villa nearby, so he took the people there for treatment.
Chang Kuo also asked for something, so he reluctantly agreed - when he was chasing the gangsters, he picked up a surviving baby girl who was several months old in the grass. He couldn't take it with him, so he wanted to give it to Li Rong.
Li Rong found it funny: "Leave it to me? I have no style or honor to speak of."
Chang Kuo: "What's the use of fame? Being able to live freely is better than anything else."
Li Rong was startled for no reason, and then said to Chang Kuo: "Then give her a name."
Chang Kuo scratched his head, he and his highness were afraid of this.
After thinking about it, I remembered that there is a river in my hometown called Tong River, so I said the word "Tong".
Li Rong nodded: "My name is Li Tong."
Chang Kuo was stunned. She wanted to raise her as her own, so she wasn't afraid of others criticizing her reputation.
This time it was Li Rong who said: "You didn't say that - what's the use of fame? Just go ahead and criticize me."
She happened to want to have a daughter to raise, so it was fate.
Seeing her being so carefree, Chang Kuo felt a little lost for no reason: "We are both princesses..."
Li Rong was confused when he heard this, and saw him grabbing the wine jar on the side and taking a few sips.
That was strong wine used to clean wounds. Li Rong asked someone to get some good wine.
The wine was soft, but Chang Kuo, who had a good drinker, felt drunk after drinking two bottles. Thinking of the eldest princess's style, he was suddenly startled, grabbed the unsheathed knife, and asked her: "What are you doing?"
What was done in the wine!"
Li Rong leaned closer to him without fear: "Didn't you guess it all?"
Chang Kuo was furious: "I'll do it next!"
Li Rong came closer with a smile: "I heard that General Chang has never married a wife. Is there something unspeakable?"
Scholars can be killed but not humiliated.
Under the influence of alcohol and medicine, everything seemed to fall into place.
Chang Kuo woke up the next day and saw Li Rong lying on his side, with black hair hanging down, holding his head with one hand, and stroking his bare chest with strong and superior texture with the other hand.
Chang Kuo was horrified, pulled the quilt around himself and jumped off the bed: "Poisonous woman!"
Seeing Chang Kuo running away in a hurry, Li Rong slowly sat up and said to himself in a funny voice: "Who is this person in this palace? Where did such low-grade things come from..."
She didn't take any medicine.
She felt that nine times out of ten this person liked her.
At that time, Li Rong just had a fresh idea after seeing the color, but he didn't think so long-term.
Later I found out I was pregnant and had no intention of telling Chang Kuo.
I never thought that I could be born, but I couldn't keep it.
Chang Kuo hugged his son who fell from the sky and left cursing. When he got on the carriage, he laughed and kissed the child several times. The child was pricked by his beard and cried loudly.
After having a child, the involvement became deeper. The two always had a reason to see each other. Chang Kuo always had war wounds, so Li Rong kept a doctor in his house who was good at bone injuries.
During those years, the two of them worked together apart from each other, and neither one was willing to let the other go. The golden fortune from which they passed the message suffered too much love, hate, and sadness.
What few people know is that in the year when Chang Kuo returned from Beidi's victory but was punished by military law, Princess Xuan'an went to Beijing privately.
At that time, Chang Kuo was so depressed that he seemed to have changed. Li Rong did not understand why he would rather disobey military orders and kill the Beidi Khan who surrendered. Others said that he was murderous, but she did not believe it.
There must be a reason for this, but he refused to say anything.
Li Rong stayed in Beijing for several months until Chang Kuo's injury healed, but as the new year was approaching, she had to leave.
On the day we left Changfu, it snowed heavily.
Just like today.
Today is the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of Changhua.
Li Rong, wearing a cloak, stood on the porch and looked at the snowy scene in the courtyard. She felt that it was exactly the same as when she left that year. Only many years later did she know what Chang Kuo had gone through.
It turns out that his lord died not in the year that Li Xiao passed away, but in the year of his great victory in Beidi.
Fortunately, the old friend is back and there is no need to mention this matter again.
Li Rong stretched out his hand and pointed to the yard next door: "Your yard is really uncomfortable. Go back and open up that yard too, so that I can live there..."
Chang Kuo, who was wrapped in a thick black fox fur cloak and leaning on a tiger-headed staff, turned to look at her: "Why, you really won't go back to Xuanzhou?"
"Leave it all to Li Tong, and it's time for me to enjoy peace and happiness... In all these years, I haven't spent a few days with Sui'an."
Chang Kuo raised his eyebrows: "Then Xuanzhou, you guys..."
Li Rong interrupted him angrily: "We were dismissed a long time ago, why are you still bringing this up?"
Chang Kuo snorted, but raised his eyebrows: "I'm afraid my small temple can't accommodate a big Buddha like yours."
"Who can't rely on you here every day? I'll come over when I want to have a good year. We live in the Marquis's Mansion and the Grand Princess's Mansion on opposite sides."
"I'm afraid of being laughed at..." Chang Kuo folded his cloak and said, "I have no name or status."
Li Rong: "You and I are so old, and our son is planning to get married. Do you really want to hold another wedding banquet and be an old consort?"
Chang Kuo imagined himself wearing wedding clothes and toasting to a group of juniors. He also thought it was ridiculous and couldn't help laughing.
He didn't have such an obsession.
The so-called status is only for people who have no confidence in their hearts.
Now that Li Rong is staying in the capital, his mind has been made up.
The experiences of the two of them are different from others, and they don't need to explain it to anyone. It's good to just stay together like this.
My hair has grown gray, and I still have a few more years to live.
Chang Kuo said seriously: "You can skip the wedding banquet...but you can't skip the betrothal gift."
Li Rong: "Who gives the betrothal gift to whom?"
Chang Kuo's face was straight: "Of course you give it to me!"
"..." Li Rong looked at him: "Are you short of money?"
Chang Kuo's tone was very glorious: "I will give it to your majesty to marry you!"
Nowadays, everything is in ruins. His Majesty is concerned about the national industry, but the officials do not agree that the emperor should keep the wedding simple, so the wedding date has not been set yet, and he has to wait for the Ministry of Household Affairs to save more money.
Chang Kuo was so anxious that he came up with the idea of "selling himself in exchange for betrothal gift money to finance the emperor's wedding."
Li Rong was also very generous, and said leisurely: "Let me tell you a few."
Chang Kuo had already planned it and stretched out three fingers at this moment.
"——Three million?" Li Rong rolled his eyes: "You dare to ask this price at your age!"
Although Chang Kuo was scolded, he felt secretly happy. He wanted to say 300,000 guan, but this woman's reaction was obviously that 3 million guan was also reasonable! Hey, she is indeed rich!
"I always want to leave some wealth for Li Tong and Sui'an! Sui'an is still planning to get married!" Li Rong thought it was ridiculous. Which princess would go bankrupt if she married an old consort at such a young age?
The two of them were bargaining on the porch.
"Dad! Aniang!"
Chang Sui'an came back from outside in the snow.
Li Rong turned around when he heard the sound, and immediately smiled: "Come on, I'm telling your father about your marriage!"
Chang Sui'an walked over, Li Rong raised his hand to brush away the snowflakes on his head, Chang Kuo turned around and asked his servant to warm a pot of wine.
There was heavy snowfall in the sky and the earth. The three of them were talking, then turned and walked into the warm house.