In the eighth month of Dinghai, the 14th year of Tongtai, the lord of the country, Long, got married and named Cai as the queen. The second daughter of Situ Cai Kai, the noble concubine Ji, was also named the queen on the same day.
On the 18th day of the eighth month, the king of the country took charge personally, received congratulations from the Imperial Palace, received favors both internally and externally, and offered pardons for crimes that were not life-threatening.
——"History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties·Biography of King Min of Chu"
In July of the 14th year of Tongtai, there was fire in the south of the Yangtze River, heat waves were rolling, and the river flowed eastward. It was noon, and there were only a few boats on the river. But under a big willow tree by the river, there was a girl in green sitting. Although she looked
She is not yet at the age of cardamom, but she is as beautiful as a pearl of fairy dew. The clothes she wears are the summer clothes that ordinary girls in the south of the Yangtze River love to wear. They are simple and unpretentious, but when you see her bright eyes and picturesque face, you know that she is not right.
Ordinary Xiaojia Biyu. She hugged her knees and sat on the bluestone. Her clear and bright eyes looked at the young man walking back and forth by the river, completely ignoring the scorching sun above her head. Her eyes were full of doubts. The young man was handsome, thirteen or fourteen years old.
, although he has a young appearance, he already has a heroic demeanor, but at this moment, he is pacing and looking around the river, looking anxious and urgent. The girl in green finally couldn't bear it anymore and raised her voice: "Second brother, didn't you hire a boat?"
Well, why haven't you come yet?"
The young man said with a bitter face: "We clearly agreed to meet here today, and half of the ship fare was paid in advance. How come you are so dishonest?"
The young girl complained: "It's all your fault. You must take me to Shouchun to visit my sister-in-law without telling my mother. Otherwise, we can go on the road with my uncle and we won't bask in the sun here."
A trace of helplessness flashed in the young man's eyes, but he quickly covered it up and said: "But as you said, my mother will not let you go to Shouchun. I originally wanted to go to Zhongli to see my elder brother so that I could follow him into battle to kill the enemy. If it weren't for you
If you insist on following me, I can go on the road in a bold manner, and there is no need to hire a boat here in private."
The girl's pretty face turned red with anger. She was originally a gentle and elegant young lady. Although she had fantasized about the vast sky outside, she did not have the courage to run away from home. If the second brother hadn't been sarcastic and secretly encouraging, how could she have the courage?
I went out with him and even hid it from my mother. Thinking of this, I wanted to curse, but she was gentle by nature and was not used to cursing. She was so angry that she couldn't speak.
At this time, the young man suddenly pointed to the river and said: "Great, the boat is coming." The girl was also overjoyed when she heard this. She stood up and looked towards the river. She saw a small passenger ship coming across the waves and stopped on the shore not long after.
On the side, the young man said to the middle-aged boatman standing at the bow: "Uncle Gu, why did you come here?"
The middle-aged boatman said: "Master Lu, my mistress suddenly had a stomachache today and couldn't get on the boat. I can't sail the boat alone, so I had to temporarily find a nephew as a helper. This is why I was delayed. Please forgive me, sir."
The young man's expression softened and he said: "I see, is Third Brother okay?"
The middle-aged boatman smiled and said: "It's nothing. I must have eaten something unclean. Sir, please get on the boat."
The young man glanced towards the stern of the ship. The young man at the helm was bronze-skinned, strong and straightforward. Then he turned back and said, "Mei'er, come on board."
The girl in green heard the sound and replied: "I know." After saying that, she walked over. Although she was young, she was very beautiful. Although the middle-aged boatman was well-informed, he couldn't help but secretly praise him and got on the gangplank.
Let the two brothers and sisters board the boat. No one of the two boys and girls noticed that the young man at the helm lowered his head slightly to hide the ejaculation in his eyes.
After getting on the boat, a small boat sailed upstream. The sun was like fire and the river wind was also carrying a suffocating heat. The two boatmen drove the boat forward for more than ten miles, then turned and sailed into a small river with a wide water surface.
, the wind blows from all directions, and the green willows on both sides of the river are like shade, and the branches and leaves cover the sky, reflecting on the river, shrouding a cool feeling. It is the best place for passing ships to rest in summer. Now there are more than ten large and small passenger ships or cargo ships in Hanoi
, there is also a gorgeous painted boat, with black wood and gold, and the beautiful and long hull is like the slender body of a girl from the south of the Yangtze River. There are several palace lanterns hanging on the bow. Although it is not lit now, the four characters with flying dragons and phoenixes on the lanterns are still clear.
It can be seen that the girl saw it at a glance and muttered in a low voice: "It's like a dream painted boat." With a look of envy on her face, she said: "Second brother, what a beautiful boat. It would be great if I could go up and have a look."
When the young man next to him heard this, a wry smile appeared on his lips. He was not like his sister who never left or stepped outside the door. He walked around Jianye City on weekdays, so he naturally knew about Rumeng Huafang. He was embarrassed for a moment and said: "Mei'er, then
This is not the place you should go." There was a strange look in the girl's eyes, and she looked at her second brother and said, "Second brother, you are not lying to me, are you?" The look on her face was full of doubt. The young man wanted to defend himself that he never lied to others, but found that
I couldn't say it out loud, after all, nine out of ten of the things I said to my sister in the past were often false, so I had to say in shock: "Mei'er, that's the boat owned by Liu Rumeng, the number one oiran in the south of the Yangtze River."
Although the girl was young, she had heard of Liu Rumeng's reputation. Although she didn't understand Fengyue, she vaguely knew its meaning. She couldn't help but blush, and was about to hide in the cabin. At this time, from the painting boat,
The clear and sad sound of the flute was heard, and the moving melody flowed into people's hearts like cold water. The hot summer seemed to have lost its power, and then a song that sounded like the sound of nature came from the boat.
"The lotuses bloomed when I kept them, and I made an appointment to sail on the orchid boat with the apple leaves. When I came to Pukou, the clouds followed me, and I picked the buildings by the river full of moonlight. The flowers were silent, the water was empty, and I was worried about the flowers every year. In the Ming Dynasty, thousands of people
The west wind blows, fighting for the beauty but unable to bear the autumn. (Note 1) "
The girl was fascinated by what she heard and said to the boy: "What a beautiful song, what a moving flute sound. Second brother, I have such a rare opportunity today. Can you let me go and see Miss Liu?" After saying that, there was a look of anticipation in her eyes.
.
There was hesitation in the boy's eyes, but when he saw the girl's expression, his heart softened, and he finally sighed: "Okay, Miss Liu is famous in Jiangnan. Even if you meet her once, Daddy won't blame you too much if he finds out."
The middle-aged boatman sailed towards the painting boat.
Not long after, the boat approached the boat. A beautiful boat girl on the boat saw the boat and said crisply: "Young master, what do you want?"
The young man sighed, looked at the pleading look in his sister's eyes, and said, "Please tell Miss Liu, Lu Feng, and Lu Mei were passing by here. They heard the girl's fairy voice and wanted to board the boat to see her." As he said this, he pressed Qian's hand.
Bag, I don’t know if the money is enough.
The boat girl chuckled and said: "Young master, at your age, you are not joking, right? Besides, my girl is just resting here and has no intention of receiving guests."
The young man's face turned red, he glanced at his sister and said, "I dare not hide it from you. It's actually my sister who listened to the flute song and was so ecstatic that she wanted to meet Miss Liu."
The boat girl smiled slightly and looked at Lu Mei. With a flash of light in her eyes, she walked to the cabin door and whispered a few words. After a while, she turned back and said: "My girl said that since you are a close friend, please come on board and have a rest."
.”
The young man Lu Feng felt relieved. He whispered a few instructions to the boatman and took Lu Mei onto the boat. A beautiful maid walked out of the cabin and raised the bead curtain. The two walked in and felt a cool breeze in the cabin.
Anger came to my face.
Lu Feng took a closer look and saw that the cabin was very spacious, with simple and elegant furnishings. There was a rattan bed inside, with a small square table on it. There was a silver plate on the table, and there was iced watermelon on the plate. There were more in the cabin.
There is an ice basin, no wonder it is so refreshing. A girl is leaning on the table, wearing a plain dress without any brocade, her green silk hair is like ink, hanging down in front of her body. Although her eyebrows are lightly swept, she has a charming and bright look. And in
There is also a man in green clothes in the cabin, standing in front of the window, gazing intently at the bank of Yanliu River beyond the bead curtain. His green shirt reaches the ground, with a bamboo flute hanging from his waist. He has an indifferent and noble demeanor.
Lu Mei had no intention of looking at the furnishings in the cabin. She walked a few steps to the rattan bed and said happily: "Are you Sister Liu? You sing so well!"
Liu Rumeng had no intention of meeting the guests, but the piano master Song Yu had just asked her to meet the two of them, so she invited the Lu brothers and sisters on the boat. However, seeing Lu Mei's joyful compliments without any intention, she couldn't help but feel moved in her heart.
He smiled slightly and said: "Rumeng relies on this to make a living. Miss, this is ridiculous." After saying that, he stretched out his slender hand and pulled Lu Mei to sit next to him. His eyes were flowing, and he had already looked at the girl up and down.
He felt that this girl was pretty and pretty. Although she was young, she was a natural beauty. If she had grown to be thirteen or fourteen years old, she would have been absolutely stunning. What made Liu Rumeng even more attracted was that this girl was innocent and had a kind of beauty deep in her bones.
She exuded a graceful and elegant temperament, and at first sight, she knew that she was not an ordinary daughter.
The more she looked at her, the more she fell in love with her. Liu Rumeng asked with a smile: "Is your name Lu Mei? You really live up to your name. I see You Lian. Where are you going?"
Lu Mei glanced at Lu Feng, saw him shaking his head slightly, and said: "My second brother and I went to see my eldest brother and sister-in-law. We passed by and heard my sister's singing, so I begged my second brother to take me to see my sister."
Liu Rumeng naturally did not miss the subtle expression between the two, but with her scheming mind, she naturally knew that it was better to pretend not to know, and said: "Do you also like singing?"
Lu Mei nodded and said shyly: "I don't sing well..."
Lu Feng was impatient, his eyes fell on the man in green clothes, and he walked a few steps forward: "This must be Mr. Song Yusong. I have heard of Mr. Song for a long time. How lucky I am to meet you today."
Yu Lun turned around when he heard the words and said calmly: "Second Master Lu is a general and a tiger, how can he pay attention to a little person like me?"
Lu Feng was shocked. Although he was young, he was extremely smart and knew many people in Jianye. Naturally, he knew Song Yu's talent and reputation. He also knew that this person was Shang Chengye's confidant.
With his help, he has made great achievements in the court. He is no longer the noble son who did nothing in the past. Just when Lu Mei wanted to board the boat to see Liu Rumeng, Lu Feng thought that the person playing the flute must be Song Yu.
He was a bohemian person, and apart from occasionally giving advice to Shang Chengye, he was by Liu Rumeng's side almost all year round.
Yu Lun also saw the changes in his expression, and thought to himself, it was rumored that most of the Lu family's secret forces in Jianye were in the hands of this young man. Now it seems to be true. You must know that Song Yu is Shang Cheng
The matter of the industry advisor is very secretive and no one knows about it except for a few people. But for Lu Feng to know about it, it shows that he can penetrate deep into the hidden power of the Lu family in Jianye.
After getting this answer, Yu Lun didn't ask any more questions. He turned to look out the window with a cold expression, as if he had no interest in the people behind him. But Lu Feng was thinking hard in his heart. Today they met on the road. Could it be that they fell into a trap? He couldn't help but feel vaguely.
Regret.
After nearly an hour, the sun set in the west and the heat wave on the river subsided. Lu Feng took Lu Mei to say goodbye. When Lu Mei said goodbye, she looked reluctant to leave. At this moment, Liu Rumeng taught her a lot of knowledge about music, singing and dancing, which made her
She felt grateful, and Liu Rumeng was good at speaking, making her feel like a spring breeze, and couldn't bear to be separated. However, Lu Feng had long wanted to leave, and he was spending this hour like a year. He wanted to find out more about Song Yu, but unexpectedly, this person spoke coldly and was unwilling to be with him.
He talked too much, which made him feel very cold and embarrassed, so he naturally left in a hurry.
Looking at the two people's approaching figures, Yu Lun's eyes flashed with sadness. Liu Rumeng walked closer, exhaled like a blue breath, and said, "Do you recognize these two people?"
Yu Lun said calmly: "These days, don't you know their identities?"
Liu Rumeng raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "I'm too lazy to ask. Besides, this little girl is gentle and lovely. I don't want to use any scheming. Anyway, it's just a chance encounter."
Yu Lun said indifferently: "Those are Lu Can's second son Lu Feng and his beloved daughter Lu Mei."
Liu Rumeng was slightly startled and said: "It's rare to be the daughter of a general. As for Lu Mei's status, even a princess may not be more noble than her. She doesn't have a trace of arrogance. She really deserves to be a daughter of a famous family. That's all.
How could your rich daughter leave home alone with her brother?"
Yu Lun said calmly: "So what if a daughter from a famous family can't escape the struggle for power. The king of the country will get married soon, and after the wedding he will be in charge. This wedding is extremely important, and who to appoint as the queen is even more important.
"
Liu Rumeng suddenly realized: "So, with the status of the general, is this Miss Lu going to be the queen? But she seems to be less than thirteen years old. Is she a little younger?"
Yu Lun said coldly: "What does age matter? If Miss Lu hadn't been under thirteen years old and not yet old enough to be elected, I'm afraid she would have been listed on the list of candidates by now. This time after the establishment of the throne, there was endless debate in the court.
Although Shang Weijun intended to make his daughter a queen, Lu Can wrote a letter to dissuade him. After all, the Shang family already has a queen mother, and it would be too much to create another queen."
Liu Rumeng said thoughtfully: "If the general intends to make Miss Lu the queen, why is Miss Lu wandering outside now?"
Yu Lun said indifferently: "The general has no such intention. A few days ago, the Queen Mother informed Madam Lu that she intended to elect Miss Lu as the queen. Now it seems that Madam Lu is unwilling, but she probably doesn't want to openly oppose it, so she let her
Miss Lu, please leave Jianye."
Liu Rumeng's beautiful eyes turned, and she said: "Since the Queen Mother has such an intention, but she is secretly rejected by the Lu family, wouldn't it mean that the General has offended the Queen Mother?"
Yu Lun sneered and said: "There is no way to do this. Do you know Shang Xiang's heart? He absolutely does not want to see Lu Mei as queen. Once the Lu family becomes a relative of the country, I am afraid that Shang Xiang will wake up from his sleep, so he
He blocked Lu Mei because of her young age and advocated the appointment of Cai's daughter as the queen. However, if the Lu family did not marry the royal family, the Prime Minister would be uneasy, so he came up with the ridiculous idea of appointing Lu Mei as a noble concubine. However, the Queen Mother was not strong-minded and wanted to
Married to the Lu family, but succumbed to the wishes of the prime minister and wanted to make Lu Mei a noble concubine. It is no wonder that the Lu family allowed Lu Mei to flee Jianye. Lu Can's status in Nanchu is so high now. If his daughter enters the palace,
If you don’t become the queen, wouldn’t you lose all face?”
Liu Rumeng thought about it again and again and sighed: "In this case, no matter what, the Lu family and the Prime Minister will have hatred. It is said that in the past, the Prime Minister once intended to match his adopted daughter to Lu Yun, but was rejected by the general. Later, he
Lu Yun intended to marry Princess Shuning, but the general declined on the grounds that Major General Lu was already engaged. Now that Miss Lu is evading the election, I am afraid that the Queen Mother and the head of state will think that the general despises the court. This matter will eventually lead to endless troubles.
"
When Yu Lun heard the words, the sadness in his eyes became more and more intense, and he said: "Nowadays, the rotten rat has become the taste, and the suspicion of Kunpeng is endless. How can the general be a person who is greedy for power, and has no desire to climb up to the dragon and follow the phoenix? Isn't it just a person like Shang Xiang?"
I will believe in the general’s will.”
Liu Rumeng also sighed softly, and then said after a long time: "Why don't you try to ask Mr. Shang to explain to the Prime Minister that now the general is commanding an army outside, facing millions of cavalry in Dayong. If something happens in the court, I'm afraid the building will collapse.
.”
Yuolun let out a long sigh and was speechless. He thought of the instructions he received yesterday. The familiar handwriting on it shocked his heart.
"Zhao Long is about to take over the throne, and the wedding is imminent. The Lu family is the only one in the south of the Yangtze River. The Shang family will definitely want Lu Can's daughter to be his concubine. Can is a noble person and will not sell his daughter for glory. There will definitely be a gap in the process. You can convince the Shang family. If
As the father-in-law of the country, Can must be rebellious, so he will break off the marriage."
Yu Lun recited it silently in his heart many times and secretly smiled bitterly: "Sir, in your mind, if he became your enemy, wouldn't you have any mercy? Then Lu Can was your disciple, but now you want to put him in this situation
Damn it, why are you so indulgent to me?"
Thinking of the three instructions he had received in the past three years, Yu Lun felt a chill in his heart.
In the twelfth year of Tongtai, Xiangyang fell. When the news reached Jianye, Shang Weijun was horrified and wanted to imprison Rong Yuan, the defender of Xiangyang, for questioning. The man sent the first order, asking him to offer suggestions and take the opportunity to spread rumors, saying that
Lu Can intended to ask the court to interrogate the Xiangyang soldiers, but asked Shang Weijun to come forward to subdue Rong Yuan. This move not only made Rong Yuan hate Lu Can even more, but also gave Shang Weijun the power of the military and gave himself Shang Weijun.
's trust.
In the 13th year of Tongtai, Bajun fell and Yu Mian defended Jiange. The Chengdu defenders also fought to the death. The two armies were united and Dayong proposed a peace treaty. If Nanchu gave up Jiange, Chengdu would return the trapped Chu army to Chengdu.
Nan Chu, and was willing to return Ba County to Nan Chu, but Lu Can decided not to allow it, and wanted to send the navy to Shu for rescue. He received a second order and persuaded Shang through Shang Chengye that once the navy entered Shu, the Yangtze River defense line would be empty.
, if the war lasts for a long time, if Yong's army in Dinghai takes the opportunity to attack, it will endanger Jianye. Instead of dividing the troops and fighting hard, it is better to guard Bajun to prevent Yong's army from flowing down the river. After the peace negotiation was successful, he followed the instructions and took the opportunity to persuade Shang Weijun to commit more crimes.
Yu Mian and Lu Can were furious, and they fought face to face with Shang Weijun. Yu Mian was finally allowed to continue to guard Bajun, but this only increased Shang Weijun's suspicion of the Lu family.
Now with the addition of this third order, Yu Lun knew that Shang Weijun's suspicion of the Lu family was about to reach its peak. With Zhao Long taking charge, Jiang Zhe, who had stayed put for three years, was afraid that he was about to launch a counterattack.