The first day of April in the eleventh year of Sui Ning
"The princess of Anning, Luo Qingzhi, has made great contributions in quelling the rebellion and has been promoted to the rank of general of the country. She is the second rank and the order. In memory of the princess's many years of hard work, she is specially allowed to recuperate in the capital."
The eunuch who delivered the order had a flattering look on his face and kept saying congratulations.
Luo Qingzhi accepted the order with both hands and asked, "Your Majesty has given you such a great gift, so I should express my gratitude."
The eunuch seemed to be in a dilemma, so he thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty said, you don't need to enter the palace to thank me."
I thought that Luo Qingzhi would continue to plead, but Luo Qingzhi just said lightly: "I accept the order to thank you."
After the eunuch who delivered the decree left, Feng Zinan said, "This decree is both a gift and a punishment."
Luo Qingzhi did not answer, but asked Feng Zinan, "What else is there for you today?"
Feng Zinan said: "Except for the eldest princess, all the Jin family were imprisoned, and the Mu family army was taken over by Ouyang Hong."
Luo Qingzhi asked: "Is there any more?"
"..."
"Say." Luo Qingzhi said.
Feng Zinan said: "General Meng resigned, and your Majesty promoted Meng Qing, Huang Si's son."
"I know." Luo Qingzhi nodded, but sighed slightly.
"Send the order, the people in the princess's mansion must not act rashly." Luo Qingzhi ordered.
"yes."
Luo Qingzhi returned to the yard and saw that Gao Zhen's door was still closed, and the food outside the door was completely untouched.
Qin Shu came out from behind and said, "Master, it has been seven days. The second master has not eaten since he came back."
"He is upset and naturally can't eat." Luo Qingzhi said calmly.
"Master, don't you go in and have a look?"
Qin Shu didn't understand that since the two of them returned to Beijing from Wuchang, they had been avoiding each other. One refused to eat and the other refused to rest, as if they wanted to torture themselves in this way.
Luo Qingzhi took a deep look at Gao Zhen's door and said, "He has been drinking the medicine. Nothing happened. He will not die."
Qin Shu shook his head and asked Luo Qingzhi, "Then, Master, you..."
"I'm going to the palace tonight, you go with me." Luo Qingzhi interrupted Qin Shu.
Qin Shu said: "But your Majesty did not summon me."
"I know."
Qin Shu sighed, "I remember that when I was young, Mr. Fan commented on you, saying that you were too straight and easy to bend."
Luo Qingzhi asked: "What do you want to say."
"You want to protect the second young master. At this time, you cannot have any enemies with His Majesty."
Qin Shu spoke directly, and Luo Qingzhi was silent for a long time.
"But." Qin Shu continued: "I am your servant, and I must obey your orders. When will we set out?"
"Zi Shi."
After Qin Shu left, Luo Qingzhi walked to the door of Gao Zhen's room, hesitated for a while, and then opened the door.
The smell of medicine hit her nose, making Luo Qingzhi cover her nose and look around, while Gao Zhen slumped beside the bed.
Luo Qingzhi walked over step by step, making a special noise with every step she took, but Gao Zhen never looked over once.
When he was one step away, Luo Qingzhi stopped, and Gao Zhen finally raised his head. He looked up at Luo Qingzhi, with a tear left in the corner of his eye.
"Your mother-in-law took poison." Luo Qingzhi said.
Gao Zhen said "Yes" and lowered his head, "I want to join the army."
Luo Qingzhi nodded, "Okay, after tonight, I will send you to Yuzhou Pingbei Army."
"good."
Luo Qingzhi turned and left, and Gao Zhen stopped her, "Aluo, I'm not strong enough, I have to become stronger."
"..."
Luo Qingzhi turned around and nodded, "Just do what you want to do, I will be your backing."
Gao Zhen asked: "Is it because of guilt or because of love?"
"..."
Luo Qingzhi didn't answer, turned around and left, closing the door.
At midnight, Qin Shu took Luo Qingzhi and flew over the eaves of the imperial city.
Outside Xianyang Hall, there is no one guarding
Wei, as if he was deliberately waiting for Luo Qingzhi.
"When you go back, whether you knock him out or persuade him, send him to Yuzhou."
Qin Shu asked: "What about you?"
Luo Qingzhi did not answer, but said sternly: "This is an order."
"......yes."
Luo Qingzhi jumped off the eaves and pushed in through the main hall door.
With a creak, Luo Qingzhi stepped into the threshold. There was no lamp in the hall, and it was dark. But Luo Qingzhi was used to this darkness, and walked straight to Dongnuan Pavilion. Gao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, with a map in front of him.
"Here we come."
Luo Qingzhi didn't answer and approached step by step.
Gao Yan turned his head and looked at Luo Qingzhi, his face calm.
"Second brother."
Gao Yan was still moved when he heard Luo Qingzhi's name.
After returning to Beijing, Luo Qingzhi knelt down for the first time.
"Second brother, I want to go back to Yuzhou."
"..."
Gao Yan said: "Tomorrow, I will issue an edict to make you a princess. We will set up a curtain above the court and allow you to listen to the government."
Luo Qingzhi sighed helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, you know that this is not my ambition."
Gao Yan always had a pleasant face when facing Luo Qingzhi. For the first time, he said in a stern tone: "I haven't touched your Pingbei Army. You have to be content."
"Then you now admit that all this is your plan."
Luo Qingzhi's words were affirmative.
Gao Yan stood up and walked towards Luo Qingzhi, exuding a sense of oppression.
"Luo Qingzhi, do you know what you are talking about?"
Luo Qingzhi raised her head, stared at Gao Yan, and said, "Your Majesty, do you know what you have done!"
"presumptuous!"
Luo Qingzhi smiled and said: "You used me to take back Ningzhou's military power without spending a single soldier from Jinling, and also got rid of the Jin family. Your Majesty, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
Gao Yan took a breath and his words became gentle again, "Aluo, I don't have much time left. I have to give my son a clean court."
"I don't need to talk about the Jin family, but what did the Mu family army do wrong?" Luo Qingzhi asked.
"Ningzhou is my Ningzhou, and the Mu family army is also my army. How could they obey orders from a small Mufu token?"
Gao Yan spoke calmly, "If an army can be mobilized with just a token, how can the border of Ningzhou be stable?"
"Then you can change it. There is no need to do this." Luo Qingzhi said.
Gao Yan said: "Do you think I haven't tried it?"
"...Is your attempt to place secret guards?"
"..."
Gao Yan turned around with a flick of his sleeves and said calmly: "Go back to your princess mansion. I will arrange for someone else to take over the Pingbei Army. The battlefield is dangerous. From now on, you can stay in Jinling with peace of mind and be your princess."
Luo Qingzhi sneered, "So, it's my turn next, right?"
Gao Yan clenched his fists, as if suppressing his anger.
"Aluo, back then, I told you that I wanted to change the chaos in the court and not let the aristocratic family have exclusive power. Today, this ambition has not changed."
Luo Qingzhi shook her head repeatedly, "Get rid of the Jin family and support the Ouyang family. Your Majesty, this is your method."
"Shu Taifei, you also arranged this." Luo Qingzhi continued to ask.
Gao Yan no longer concealed it, "Of course, without my instructions, how could she mobilize the secret guards."
Luo Qingzhi raised her hands and saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for answering your questions."
Gao Yan turned around and looked at Luo Qingzhi's eyes. He knew that he couldn't keep this person...
"Arlo, don't force me."
Luo Qingzhi said: "Yuzhou, I must go back."
Gao Yan's eyes were stern, "Luo Qingzhi! I say it again, you are not allowed to leave Jinling!"
Luo Qingzhi raised her hands and saluted, "Back then, I didn't protect the Beifu Army. Now, I can't let the Pingbei Army do the same."
suffered this calamity."
"I said, don't move them." Gao Yan's words were sincere, and there was a hint of compromise.
Luo Qingzhi said clearly, word by word: "I don't believe you anymore."
Gao Yan felt helpless, closed his eyes and said, "You forced me."
Luo Qingzhi took out the dagger from her sleeve.
Suddenly, a person came down from the eaves. Commander Yuan Ying guarded Gao Yan behind him.
Luo Qingzhi listened to the neat footsteps outside the palace and sneered, "Your Majesty, you have never thought of letting me leave the palace."
Gao Yan said: "There are forbidden troops outside the palace, Aluo, you can't leave."
"On the battlefield, I never flinched in the face of thousands of troops, and I won't do it this time either."
After Luo Qingzhi finished speaking, she climbed out of the window. The archers outside the palace immediately shot. She dodged back and forth. Taking advantage of the moment when she changed her arrows, she flew over to the atrium, grabbed the spear, and killed dozens of people in a row...
..
On the streets of Yuzhou, in a teahouse, a storyteller was telling the story of Luo Qingzhi, Princess Anning.
"Then what?" A man listened in fascination and asked quickly.
The storyteller sighed, "Even though Her Royal Highness the Princess is highly skilled in martial arts, her two fists cannot withstand four hands, and she was eventually killed by the rebellious Mu family army."
For a moment, the store recalled the sound of lamentation.
The man sitting in the corner took out a dagger from his arms and struck it on the storyteller's table.
"Princess Anning is not dead, you old man, don't talk nonsense here."
The storyteller was frightened at first, and then thought that his news came from Jinling, but he was still dissatisfied and said: "Your Majesty has already buried the princess with military honors, why is he not dead?"
The man took off his straw hat and said viciously: "If I say I'm not dead, I'm not dead."
The storyteller looked disdainful and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am Qin Shu, the bodyguard of Princess Anning!"
Hearing this, the people in the hall froze one after another. Everyone in Yuzhou City knew that whoever dared to criticize Princess An Ning in front of Qin Shu, who joined the army, would end badly.
Qin Shu walked up to the storyteller step by step, held his collar, and asked gently: "Tell me, is Princess Anning dead?"
"No, no, no..."
"Okay, Qin Shu, stop."
Feng Zinan heard the news and rushed over.
Qin Shu saw that the wind was coming from the south and let go of his hand.
"Come out." Feng Zinan simply said two words, and Qin Shu had no choice but to obey.
After walking out of the teahouse, Qin Shu squinted at Yuzhou's dazzling gaze.
"Second Young Master will be angry if he causes trouble just after he comes back." Feng Zinan said.
Qin Shu was discouraged, "I just can't listen. They said the master is dead."
Feng Zinan sighed, "It's been two years, it's been two years, that's enough, Qin Shu."
"Not enough!" Qin Shu suddenly became angry, "I have been to the tomb where the emperor placed his master. The master's coffin is empty. The master must not be dead."
Feng Zinan shook his head, "Later we went to check and the young master was lying inside."