Chapter 4: Agreement

"Your Majesty, Zhou Shengchen, hereby orders you!" After Zhou Shengchen said this, he took the imperial edict with both hands and turned around to order Hong Xiaoyu to put it away.

Looking at the soldiers and generals, he said loudly: "I have been ordered to enter the city, and all the soldiers and generals are waiting in the camp. Anyone who disturbs the people will be severely punished!"

The soldiers did not dare to hesitate and immediately replied: "Here!"

A sound like a roaring mountain and a tsunami rolled across the countryside like a giant thunder falling out of thin air.

Piao Guang and others were either appreciative or surprised. Countless people and scholars were first shocked by the neat troops they had never seen before, and then they cheered and applauded in agreement.

Disciple Zhou Tianxing brought the horse, and Zhou Shengchen took the reins. He heard Hong Xiaoyu approach and whisper: "Master, how can you enter the city alone? We are here to send souls, not lives."

"Stand by order." Zhou Shengchen whispered and got on his horse.

The people present cheered again, and after bowing their hands and saluting, Guang Guang and others got on their carriages and horses, and followed him into the city.

The streets and alleys had been cleared by the soldiers guarding the city. The onlookers stood on the streets to watch King Xiao Nanchen enter the city, but they could also see clearly.

After passing through several streets, the group arrived at the gate of Miyagi City. A guard came forward, stretched out his hand to hold the horse's reins, and Zhou Shengchen immediately dismounted.

Piao Guang followed on the right, Liu Wei and Liu Yuan followed on the left. Zhou Shengchen raised his head and looked at the gate of the palace city, thinking to himself: In order to pay homage to the emperor's brother, he has already broken his oath.

At this time, in the court, guards had already run in to report, and then the chamberlain reported to the emperor and concubine.

All the courtiers who had been waiting and were distracted suddenly felt a chill on their backs, and they exclaimed in low voices:

"he came";

"King Xiao Nanchen is here";

"Here comes Zhou Shengchen"...

The six-year-old Emperor Liu Hui was awakened by his mother and relatives at this time, and he quickly sat upright.

"My lords, King Xiao Nanchen has come to pay his respects. Your Majesty and I cannot help but allow him to enter the city in person to pay homage." The concubine said to the ministers.

"He, how many troops did he bring?" someone suddenly asked.

"Three thousand riders," the concubine said.

"Only these soldiers and horses?" The ministers couldn't help but be surprised and glad that Zhongzhou was safe.

"How many people did he bring into the city?" Someone remembered and asked again.

"He is alone," said the concubine.

The ministers whispered again, and the panic in their hearts basically disappeared, turning into secret praise for Zhou Shengchen.

"Prince Xiao Nanchen is here!" the chamberlain guarding the door shouted loudly, and the people in the palace felt nervous again.

The concubine then sat next to the emperor's dragon chair, and together with the people present, looked at the gate of Tai Chi Hall with eyes full of complex emotions such as fear, doubt, expectation, and hesitation.

Climbing up the long steps, Zhou Shengchen looked indifferent and looked extremely calm.

As he stepped into the Tai Chi Hall, the civil and military officials uttered another low cry, and immediately tightened their lips consciously. They each stared with respect, approval, admiration, or vigilance, jealousy, or hesitation. he.

The young emperor Liu Huigao was sitting on His Majesty Dan. After Zhou Shengchen glanced at the concubine Qi Zhenzhen sitting next to him, he bowed and said, "My lord Zhou Shengchen, I would like to pay homage to Your Majesty."

"Uncle, please rise." Liu Hui said quickly.

Zhou Shengchen stood up after thanking him. The little emperor wanted to step forward to get close to his uncle, but was held down by Qi Zhenzhen.

"I have to force King Xiao Nanchen to break his oath and enter the palace today. It's just because of rumors," she asked tentatively.

"It is rumored that I have the intention of treason. Therefore, the concubine invited me to the palace to show that the monarch and his ministers are harmonious and the court is stable." Zhou Shengchen said calmly, "If I had other intentions, I would not rush back to pay my respects in person."

After Qi Zhenzhen heard this, he immediately got up and walked closer and said, "King Xiao Nanchen has taken care of the overall situation. Please pay homage to me."

Zhou Shengchen stretched out his hand to help me: "Concubine, you don't have to be like this. You are the king and I am the minister, how can I accept such a great gift from you?"

Qi Zhenzhen looked at him and said, "For the sake of the world, what's the harm in kneeling down?"

After a slight pause, she continued: "The imperial edict has been promulgated. Your Majesty and Gu have actually forced King Xiao Nanchen to break the original oath. Although Gu feels guilty in his heart, the matter has come to this and the oath no longer exists. King Xiao Nanchen is not as good as Just stay in Zhongzhou and assist His Majesty Zuo?"

She said this just because she wanted to further test Zhou Shengchen, and maybe even take away his military power.

"I don't want to." Zhou Shengchen simply refused, "I have always kept my oath and am used to staying in Xizhou. Besides,"

Knowing that she and the officials were still worried, if he wanted to avoid being overly suspicious, he could only continue: "I have been troubled by rumors for many years. I will put an end to them today and treat them as a gift to His Majesty on his enthronement."

Qi Zhenzhen suddenly felt nervous and asked quickly: "How to end it?"

Zhou Shengchen said loudly: "The concubine said that the previous oath did not exist, so I will make another oath - I will end up in Xizhou in this life, and I will not marry any wives or concubines or leave any heirs."

Without leaving any heirs, he naturally had no reason to usurp power and commit rebellion. Any more rumors would be meaningless.

After Qi Zhenzhen confirmed it again, he was so happy that he almost cheered on the spot.

Piao Guang then praised and confirmed: "Your Highness understands the righteousness!" Other civil and military officials also started to praise with surprise and reverence.

Liu Yuan, Liu Wei, Liu Changxi and other royal family members were relieved at this, but Yang Guang saluted again and said, "Your Highness, Yang has an unkind request."

After getting Zhou Shengchen's approval, he continued: "The Miao family has a ten-year-old daughter named Shiyi. The late emperor once granted her a marriage to the royal family. I wonder if your highness can accept her as a disciple?"

At that time, Jian Shiyi was accused of marrying the prince, but the prince died at the age of three. Although this engagement is currently in name only, it has not yet been annulled.

After Zhou Shengchen heard this, he looked slightly embarrassed.

Yang Guang, who was wily and cunning, could not be said to be too cunning. When he said such words, Qi Zhenzhen knew that Yang Guang had seen Zhou Shengchen make such a promise and used this method to appease him - perhaps with help. The purpose of keeping an eye on Yao Shiyi is to further strengthen the power of the Yao family.

If this thing can be realized, it will indeed benefit both the Yang family and the royal family. She quickly interjected: "This is a great thing. When King Xiao Nanchen accepts Yang, he should be his disciple. The Yang family, the royal family, and Nanchen The palace will become closer because of this relationship."

Zhou Shengchen was still hesitant, but other civil and military officials present praised him repeatedly and tried to persuade him.

Cao Guang was heartless, and then he held his hand and said: "This is a good thing that the two parties are getting closer to each other. The reason why Cao is so kind is to eliminate the gap between the Cao family and the Nanchen Palace."

What he said hit the point - Wen Ji of the Yang family was in love with Zhou Shengchen's uncle, King Nanchen.

But because King Nanchen was worried that his marriage to the Ni family would cause criticism from his political enemies, he reluctantly ignored it. Now that King Nanchen has gone away, Nao Wenji is still alone and hurt.

Zhou Shengchen hesitated again and again, and had no choice but to reply: "My king, I cannot ask for anything more."

Guang Guang felt that it was a trick, so he immediately raised his hand and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for this."

"Wait a minute." Zhou Shengchen stepped aside.

Everyone present wanted to congratulate him for this, but they couldn't help but stopped.

"I was originally devoted to the military, but I was not good at it and had no patience to teach my disciples. The Yu family was originally from a famous family, how can I teach them?" Zhou Shengchen explained.

Yang Guang quickly replied: "Who doesn't know that King Xiao Nanchen is not only unparalleled in martial arts, but also brilliant in literature?!"

Waving his hand, Zhou Shengchen continued: "I can reluctantly agree now, but it can only be limited to ten years. After that, there will be no master and apprentice. This can not only save the face of my rare talent, but also make the king The Miao family and the royal family are satisfied."

The tone in which he said these words was frank and firm.

After Zhou Shengchen finished speaking, Princess Qi Zhenzhen persuaded with a smile: "Since we are masters and disciples, we should 'be a teacher for one day and a father for life'."

"The reason why I say this is because of two considerations." Zhou Shengchen said calmly, "Shi Yi is ten years old this year, so in ten years he will be twenty years old. He must get married at such an age, how can he still stay in the palace? ?”

After he said this, everyone couldn't help but agree.

Guang Guang knew in his heart that if the girls of his clan really reached that age, even if they were not yet married, they would not be able to stay in the Nanchen Palace of Xizhou, hundreds of miles away from Zhongzhou.

He then raised his hands to the concubine and said, "What King Xiao Nanchen said makes sense."

Concubine Qi Zhenzhen also nodded in agreement, then looked at Zhou Shengchen: "Then what?"

"The Imperial Concubine just said that Shiyi's marriage contract is to the royal family. If when she gets married, both husband and wife are extremely noble, how can I call her my disciple?! What the Imperial Concubine just said, 'A teacher for one day, a disciple for life. "Father's words, don't they make me and Miss Yu confused about their seniority?"

Therefore, in order to avoid serious disgrace, the king can only make this agreement for ten years at most. Or maybe when she gets married, all the status of master and disciple between me and her will be eliminated. "

Zhou Shengchen replied.

"What Gu just said is just a metaphor, not a confusion between master and master. Prince Xiao Nanchen taught Shi Shiyi, naturally focusing on non-main subjects such as piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. His Highness did not charge her tuition, and Shi Shiyi even less If you will be forced to do work by His Highness, you should be treated as a master. According to the title of master and apprentice, I will listen to what King Xiao Nanchen says. Taifu, can you?"

The concubine confirmed and said, she also found it interesting and laughed.

Yang Guang, who was determined to facilitate this matter, repeatedly said yes, and had to secretly admire Zhou Shengchen's thoughtfulness.

He implored King Xiao Nanchen to accept Shi Yi as his disciple. In addition to the entanglements between several forces, he also wanted to repay the love for Shi Yi's mother, the third wife of the Yang family, Jun Wen.

Li Qilang, the husband of Piao Wenjun, had offended Empress Gao. Piao Guang was worried that this would bring disaster to the Piao family, so he forced Piao Wenjun and Li Qilang to reconcile.

Although the couple loves each other, they can only succumb to the cruel reality. Their only daughter, Shiyi, suddenly lost her father and was immediately unable to speak due to anxiety.

There are a total of six houses in the Tao family, and Cao Guang is the head of the third house - Wushui House. There is only one girl in this branch, Miao Shiyi, so everyone loves her very much.

She couldn't speak. Of course, Yang Guang knew that it was related to Li Qilang's disappearance, and he felt guilty for his sister Yang Wenjun.

Now that Yang Shi should be worshiped by Zhou Shengchen as his disciple, Yang Guang's intention was not only to ensure that the Yang family, the royal family, and the Nanchen Palace would all benefit, but also to allow King Yang Wen to take advantage of this opportunity to gain glory.

Now Zhou Shengchen said that the time limit for accepting a disciple is ten years, or if it is earlier, it is the time limit for him to marry someone, and Cao Guang agrees with this.

As for Zhou Shengchen's words "so as not to confuse the title and seniority", Piao Guang could only obey.

Otherwise, what would you call your niece when she gets married to the prince? Is it possible that the prince calls Prince Xiao Nanchen the uncle of the emperor, but the princess wants to call him "Master?"; "Master of the emperor's uncle"?

In short, for the sake of national affairs, Piao Guang only needs to be vigilant enough about King Xiao Nanchen. Then he raised his hands and confirmed: "What King Xiao Nanchen said is absolutely true!"

Concubine Qi Zhenzhen immediately agreed, and all the civil and military officials present congratulated her: "Congratulations to Prince Xiao Nanchen on his new disciple! Congratulations to the Master!"

Zhou Shengchen naturally knew that the current Yao Shiyi was young and had just lost his father suddenly, causing aphasia. Now she should be allowed to rest in Zhongzhou for a few more years. It would be more appropriate for the two of them to meet each other at that time.

He then said: "I have been ordered to march south to 'Jiangshui', and I will go there for several years. There are no maids in the palace to serve your noble daughter, so I ask the master to wait until the king returns to the army in victory to send Miss Nao to the west." state."

"It's a deal." Cao Guang answered with cupped hands.

"These will definitely be recorded in history." Zhou Shengchen said.

After receiving a definite reply from Piao Guang, Zhou Shengchen said goodbye to the new emperor, concubine and others, and walked out of the Tai Chi Hall.

All the civil and military officials saluted together and said in unison: "Best farewell to King Xiao Nanchen!"

After walking out of the hall, Zhou Shengchen looked at the sky.

"Uncle Emperor, stay."

The six-year-old little emperor Liu Hui hurriedly chased him out of the hall.

Zhou Shengchen knelt down, looked at him and asked, "Is there anything else your Majesty can do?"

"Uncle Emperor has been tired of guarding the territory for his father for many years." After saying that, Liu Hui bowed to Zhou Shengchen seriously.

This little emperor's words and deeds are very sensible and sincere. But you must know that this is his cleverness as the heir to the throne. From this, it can be seen that in the future he will only be an emperor who is good at controlling the imperial arts.

"I accept your Majesty's greetings on behalf of the soldiers." Zhou Shengchen replied.

"Won't the emperor stay in the palace for the night?" Emperor Liu Hui asked.

"This place is not the place for me to stay." Zhou Shengchen replied, "I will leave the palace now. Your Majesty, please go back quickly. On the day of the death, I will go to see the late emperor off."

The little emperor Liu Hui stared at his back in silence, walking slowly along the steps from the high platform, feeling full of disappointment: as soon as he ascended the throne, he felt that there was danger everywhere. I just feel that this imperial uncle is reliable, but I can't get too close to him.

Zhou Shengchen went out to the palace city and, escorted by the soldiers in the city, rode out of Zhongzhou City.

Military strategist Xie Chong, disciples Hong Xiaoyu, Zhou Tianxing and others have been waiting outside the city gate, watching the activities inside the city gate with keen eyes.

A group of soldiers walked out of the city gate, and the waiting people finally saw their king.

"King Xiao Nanchen!" Seeing that he had returned safely, everyone was excited and came forward to salute.

Surrounded by him, everyone returned to the base camp. Entering the big tent, they all asked Zhou Shengchen how his trip was going.

He told about his experience of entering the city and the palace, and everyone couldn't help but frown.

"Your Highness, you are still young, how can you say something like 'no wives, no concubines, no heirs'?" Hong Xiaoyu said directly.

Zhou Shengchen thought to himself: If I didn't say that, why would I still be sitting here? !

Waving his hand to interrupt Hong Xiaoyu, he said calmly: "I want your Majesty and the court to rest assured."

Xie Chong thought for a while, stroked his beard and laughed softly: "Your Highness made an oath in public many years ago, and he broke it right now!"

"But," Feng Qiao said doubtfully, "it was them who broke it, not His Highness."

Xie Chong was stunned for a second, feeling that his own affairs were indeed "him and not me", so he could only sigh helplessly.

"There is another thing, which can be regarded as a vow." Zhou Shengchen said and couldn't help laughing.

Seeing that his expression was more relaxed, everyone immediately asked what was going on.

"I only said that I was busy with military affairs, but the master wanted to give me a young apprentice." Zhou Shengchen said with a smile.

After everyone heard what he said in detail, they just felt funny: What's the point of such a pampered little girl working hard to study in Nanchen Prince's Mansion far away? !

"This matter should be treated with caution." Military Advisor Xie Chong said after pondering.