Cui Yong entered Yuanzhou, and in the name of Chen’s orphan, brought a token and the late queen’s keepsake, and met the general and his wife.

With almost no effort, he was able to stay in Li Chongxuan’s army.

No one in the army was searching, and soon the danger of pursuit was temporarily away from Cui Wei.

In September, Cui Yi followed the army to the west of Yandang Mountain and pursued the remnants of Youbei’s invasion at the foot of the mountain. She seized the opportunity to save Li Chongxuan once, suffered some injuries, and was promoted to military merit as she wished.

Everything was developing as she had imagined, just waiting for an opportunity.

When the new emperor Shen Zhuo built a Taoist temple and levied harsh taxes on the territory of Yuanzhou, Cui Yi’s opportunity came.

Taking advantage of the general’s wife’s birthday celebration, Cui Yi took the initiative to reveal her identity to her.

Li Chongxuan was shocked at first, then worried.

But soon, he no longer had time to worry.

You Beiren did not receive any reward from the court this year, and because the marriage issue was delayed again and again, he stationed troops in the northern border and sent soldiers to make things difficult.

Cui Wei went to the battlefield again.

No matter how bad the days were before, they couldn’t be worse until we really went to the battlefield.

She was shot in the shoulder and lay on the haystack in pain, looking up at the sky and thinking.

The marriage would be unfair to her, but there would be no need to start a war. But she only had a few decades to live. What about after that? If Shen Zhuo continued to be so dissolute, would Da Chong still have another few decades?

Hard to say.

She wants to defend this country, but she also wants to overthrow it.

“You, why don’t you come and change the medicine? Why are you still lying so high?” A cute voice sounded.

Cui Wei looked down and saw a little girl covered in blood, holding a bandage.

“Who are you?” Cui Wei asked with a stern face.

“My name is Yunli. I am a maid from the Marquis of Kezhou Mansion. I came to the camp to help treat the wounded.”

Yunli, what a cute name.

Cui Yi was sitting on a haystack. Maybe there was some wind blowing, making her half-loose hair messy.

Seeing her, Cui Yi couldn’t help but think of her maid who died tragically outside Yongning Gate.

Just because she refused to say anything softly and allowed Shen Zhuo to insult her, the maid was beaten to death in broad daylight.

There was suddenly some moisture in Cui Wei’s eyes.

“Why did you come all the way to the battlefield, little girl?”

Yunli sighed, “This time, it’s our prince… no, our young marquis! Our young marquis joined forces with General Li to attack the enemy. I was originally raised to serve the new lady in the future, but the young marquis has not married yet, so I am of no use to him, so I followed the master to do what I can.”

The prince? The young marquis?

Cui Wei then remembered that several months ago, Marquis Zhao of Kezhou had passed away, and now the crown prince should indeed inherit the title as the young marquis.

Time flies by so fast.

“Your wound is bleeding. Can I bandage it for you?”

As he spoke, Yunli was about to climb up the haystack.

Cui Yu didn’t want to be exposed, so she jumped off the haystack and said, “No need, no need. Give me the medicine, I can take care of it myself.”

“No, no, if you raise your arm, it will tear even more severely.”

She chased step by step, and she retreated step by step.

Until he bumped into someone behind him.

Cui Yi turned around.

It turns out to be an acquaintance.

“Why, why is it… ugh!”

Before the man could even ask a question, Cui Yi was quick to step forward and cover his mouth. Her eyes were sharp, warning him to shut up.

Yunli followed behind breathlessly, and was stunned when he saw what was happening.

“Dr. Gong!”

Cui Yi’s teacher was Huai Chengbai, who gave up his position as the chief academic officer of the Imperial Academy.

Huai Chengbai was well-known for his painting and calligraphy, but he was a bohemian person and did not want to be bound by officialdom.

In addition, as he was not valued, he gradually gave up hope and simply resigned from his official position to travel around and enjoy himself.

It was also because Empress Chen privately requested that he became Cui Yong’s mentor.

She did have some talent, and Huai Chengbai taught her with more care. He would even bring her along when he met with friends to make himself proud.

The closest one among these friends was Gong Sheng, who was called “Dr. Gong” by Yunli at that time.

When they were drunk, Cui Yi dragged them away several times.

“Your Highness, why are you here?”

Cui Yi’s clothes were half taken off, revealing half of her fair shoulder, and she let Yun Li bandage her wound.

It was impossible to hide it, so she just told Yunli. It was better than getting injured and falling into a coma later, unable to cope with it, and exposing her identity as a woman.

“It’s a long story.” Cui Wei thought for a long time and finally uttered these four words.

“Then keep it short!”

“…”

Hengzhi took off his armor and leaned against the window sill.

What is this little girl Yunli doing running outside every day?

He was injured today, and thinking that Yunli had some experience in applying medicine and bandaging wounds, he wanted her to treat him, so as not to delay the other wounded soldiers from seeking medicine.

But after all this time, where on earth did she go?

Yun Cheng followed to the window and looked at the place where Yun Lifang had just run away, and he was also confused.

“Which soldier did she have a secret relationship with?”

Hengzhi asked in a bad tone, and Yuncheng shook his head silently.

It’s not because of anything else. Yunli, Yuncheng and Yuncong have been his close attendants since childhood. They grew up with him and treated her as their younger sisters.

You can’t just call a soldier and trick her into running away without any reason.

But he guessed wrong, but not completely wrong.

Two days later, on the military horse farm, Yunli was riding slowly along the back of an armored soldier, and was caught by him.

Before Hengzhi could step forward, something unexpected happened.

A wounded horse was frightened by the pain from its wound, and went mad and ran around wildly.

Turning sideways, Hengzhi saw the man’s features clearly.

is her.

Without even thinking, Hengzhi flew forward, grabbed the reins of the crazy horse, and put one leg on the ground, trying to slow down the horse’s speed and give Yunli and her a chance to dodge.

But the horse was not human-like. It twisted its body left and right and threw Hengzhi away.

Seeing that the crazy horse was about to rush towards Yunli again, with the horse’s hooves raised high, Cui Yi took out a dagger, gritted her teeth, and stood in front of Yunli.

The expected pain did not come.

Hengzhi appeared out of nowhere, pulled her away, and took the trampling for her.

Under the force of gravity, Cui Yi saw his handsome face twisted in pain and the blue veins on his forehead popped out.

Surprisingly, it’s him again.

But she had no time to think carefully, as the danger was imminent. If the mad horse did not stop, the woman would have to suffer a few more blows when it put its hooves down.

She pulled the man into her arms, and Cui stood up, raised her hand and thrust upwards, stabbing the dagger in her hand right into the horse’s belly. She gritted her teeth again, exerted force and slashed downwards, ripping the belly open, blood splattering everywhere.

She became exhausted and fell to the ground, letting Hengqi rest his head on her waist and abdomen. Both of them were exhausted.

With Gong Sheng around, it would be hard for Hengzhi to die because of such a small matter.

Although there was no bleeding wound, there was a bowl-sized blood clot on his back. Hengzhi drank the medicine and lay down on the couch in the tent. There was only a dim light around him, which made him sleepy.

Cui Yi quietly sneaked into his tent.

In his hands was a freshly killed chicken and a bag of sickly sweet dates.

She stood in front of the lamp and looked at the quiet face, which was resting on the pillow like a cold jade, full of sorrow.

When we met in Qing County before, he almost revealed my identity. It’s really inappropriate to meet him again in the army.

But she just didn’t want to owe anyone anything. If she didn’t say thank you, she would probably feel bad for the rest of her life.

So I decided to quietly put down my things and leave.

Anyway, the battle is almost over and we’re going to disband soon.

Hengzhi.

Cui Yi walked to his bedside and remembered his name. The prince of Kezhou’s surname was Heng and his given name was Zhi, which means an island in the water.

He is truly one of the best.

The figure rushing towards her from the stable gate, and the moment when he supported her at the inn, both during her anxious heartbeat, will always be unforgettable to her.

When she was young, a minister suggested to Shen Cong that in order to prevent Kezhou from becoming too dominant, it would be better to let the princess marry his son and recruit the prince to the capital, where he would be at the feet of the emperor, so that they could feel at ease.

Cui Wei didn’t understand what political intrigue was at that time, so she didn’t buy it at all. She just said that if Shen Yuanning wanted to get married, she should get married. Anyway, her father didn’t give her a name. From childhood to adulthood, except for the boy who called her Wei, everyone else called her “Yuanning”.

As expected, the furious Shen Cong punished him by making him stand under the scorching sun for a whole day.

At that time, it seemed that the person was no taller than Shen Cong’s desk.

Later she learned her lesson and even if she was unwilling to obey anything, she would just say “umm” and nod her head perfunctorily.

Unexpectedly, many years later, in such a situation, she would actually meet the Prince of Kezhou.

Hengzhi is rumored to be dissolute and disrespectful to his king and father.

The candle flame swayed in the wind as she approached.

She also thought in an unreasonable way that it was better to be disrespectful to the emperor and father. There were many parents-to-be in the world, but not every father was kind and worthy of being raised by their children.

In this case, isn’t Cui Yi’s intention to overthrow the Shen family’s kingdom even more disrespectful to the emperor and his father than Heng Zhi?

She chuckled and was about to turn around and leave.

But the person who seemed to be asleep suddenly stretched out his hand and stopped Cui Yan from leaving. She rolled up her sleeves, and her slender wrist was hanging down, and was grabbed.

“Want to leave now?” He said it slowly, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

“Why don’t you leave and stay overnight?” Cui Yi was not far behind and sarcastically said to him.

This man was very smart and should have seen through her identity as a woman when they were in the inn. Now that they were meeting in the military camp, and she was Li Chongxuan’s deputy general, could he be trying to use this to threaten her?

“Okay.”

Hengzhi raised his body a little, changed his hand grip, and pulled the person two steps closer to him.

How can you be so shameless?
Cui Wei frowned, thinking of the guards outside, and obeyed without saying a word.

“It is a great honor for me to be able to save your life.”

Cui Wei’s heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally died.

It seems that he is so smart and intelligent that he has become a spirit.

“What do you want?” Cui Yi stared at him closely, trying to see some plot in his eyes in the dim light.

But unfortunately, there is nothing.

Instead, it’s a feeling of great pleasure and relief to see each other again?
No matter what it is. Generally speaking, if someone reveals his cards right at the beginning, he must be seeking something. Heng Qi only spoke a few words to her and revealed her identity, so it must be no exception.

“What does Your Highness want?” Heng Zhi pulled the wound and felt a dull pain. He could only sigh and lie back down. “Do you want the whole world?”

Cui Yan: “…”

There is no way to talk about this.

“I can give it to you.”

She raised her eyes.

We can chat for a few more minutes.

“What are your conditions?” She was not a person who liked to talk nonsense, and the current situation was not a time for nonsense.

Taxes were even more severe this autumn, and the people suffered terribly. There was a severe drought in Pingzhou, and plague in Yingzhou. People were starving everywhere, and they had to exchange their own children for food.

What was Shen Zhuo doing when all these sufferings were everywhere? He built a palace and a Taoist temple, and in order to make elixirs, he did not hesitate to send all the charcoal to the elixir furnace.

Winter is coming. Where can people who want to keep warm buy charcoal?

Hengzhi also looked at her in the light of the lamp. Cui Yi’s eyebrows were hidden in the shadows. Although her expression was not pleasant, one could vaguely see her former appearance.

Once upon a time, on the top of Yanqing Tower in the capital city, there was a carefree man sleeping soundly, leaning against the railing in the bright sun.

The pomegranate flower fan that fell from her hand was as bright as her black hair and red lips.

I don’t know if it’s broken.

“I want your Highness.”

Cui Yi suddenly raised her head and her almond-shaped eyes widened.

What do you want?
Such lewd words! How could he open his mouth so easily! He is indeed a dissolute and careless person!
“Your Highness and I once had an unfinished engagement.” He used his fingertips to slowly stroke the side of her wrist, and he actually felt a little tender. “When Your Highness succeeds, you can give me a place in the imperial harem.”

She said this humbly, as if she was an ungrateful person who would throw away something after using it. Besides, she was not a womanizing person, and success was pleasing to the ears, but the three thousand concubines in the imperial palace looked down on her to some extent.

“Okay, then it depends on how capable the young marquis is.”

It’s just some jokes, everyone can do that.

I don’t know what method Hengzhi used to persuade Li Chongxuan.

The two states of Yuan and Ke had always been in a common cause of the war in the north. Now, Hengzhi wanted to change his allegiance to the princess, and even if Li Chongxuan didn’t want to get into trouble, he had to serve her as his master because they were in the same boat.

In order to conceal her identity, Cui Yu continued to dress as a man.

Because of this contract, Heng Qi naturally often appeared around Cui Yan. Soon, she got used to him hanging around her.

Although the whole country was unified, it was divided into three parts because of the dispersion of military power. Yuanzhou was in the northwest, Kezhou was in the north, and Shuzhong was in the southwest. Shuzhong was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and it had been disrespectful to the court for a long time by dividing the two sides of the country through Pingjiang.

Cui Yi wanted this piece of fat meat, but now was not the right time.

New Year’s Eve is coming soon.

Hengzhi, wearing a scarlet robe and carrying a piece of red cloth, broke into Cui Yi’s room.

She was looking at the territory map. She had raised troops in the name of Yuan and Ke states, and had already captured ten cities since the first snow in winter. It took almost no effort, and after the spring, they would capture Pingzhou.

“What’s the matter?” Cui Wei asked.

“It’s a new year, a good omen. There’s something we need to do first.” Hengzhi smiled and sat down beside her.

His usual appearance was completely different from that on the battlefield. Now that he had washed away the blood and removed that cold and murderous look, he looked no different from an ordinary young master from a noble family.

But they are still different.

When Hengzhi got closer and saw the new wound on his finger, she remembered how he had protected herself and saved her more than once on the battlefield.

Thinking of this, my heart softened.

“What do you want to do? Just tell me.” As she looked at him, her eyes softened unconsciously.

In this country, every strategy was won by her risking her life. Therefore, it is written in the later chronicles that the empress is cold and not easy to show her true feelings to others.

But there are exceptions.

Hengzhi unfolded the red cloth, on which was embroidered intricate dragon and phoenix patterns with gold thread.

“Ah’an, marry me. As long as you accept this veil, it will be considered that our marriage is settled. One day, in the palace, I will be able to openly and honestly take the lead in deciding your position as my husband of all times.”

In recent days, I have seen her worried and having headaches every other day, which shows that she has a heavy burden on her shoulders. Hengzhi is not a very talkative person. When she talks carefully, she usually has murderous intentions.

But I never want to do this in front of her again.

In order to escape and to fight for this dignity, she went from being a pretty young lady to someone who has experienced all the hardships of life.

So, it’s not a good idea to be sharp with her anymore.

Cui Yi was stunned. She was shocked by Heng Zhi’s words. She felt a feeling in her heart that was hard to describe. It was like the sour taste of new apricots, sour to the extreme, but also a little sweet.

This was the first time in her life that she was proposed to. There was no matchmaking or gold, silver, or brocade, only this red veil. Looking at the stitches, it was Yunli who embroidered it.

Cui Yi couldn’t help but smile as she clenched the red in her hand.

“Why do you want me to marry you so much?”

She had wanted to ask this question for a long time.

Hengzhi looked at her for a long while, then said thoughtfully, “One year, I followed my father into the palace. There was a lot of traffic in front of Yanqing Tower on the streets of the capital. I wanted to buy some snacks for my mother, but when I got to the door of the store, someone dropped a fan embroidered with fiery red pomegranate flowers from the second floor. He actually fell asleep in such a noisy place.”

The last syllable of this sentence was brisk, as if it had softened a little as if it saw her cute sleeping posture again.

Cui Yi pointed at him in shock, “You, it’s actually you.”

It was you who picked up my round fan, and it was you who had a half-engagement with me.

Another year later, in March, the troops arrived at the capital.

Cui Yi, wearing silver armor and carrying a pair of long swords with Heng Zhi, walked into the Chong’an Hall, where she had once kowtowed and could not get a good life.

Shen Zhuo took too many pills, his face turned black and his eyes were dull.

He won’t live long.

Cui Yi held the knife and half-knelt in front of him.

“Uncle, long time no see.”

Shen Zhuo became excited for a moment, but he was exhausted. Even if he used up all his strength and his face turned red, he couldn’t utter a word.

“Back then, when you forced my mother to do all kinds of humiliation to me, did you ever think about what is happening now?”

Cui Wei stood up again, turned around half a circle, and took the imperial seal from the table.

“Uncle, you have been resentful of Shen Cong for half your life. You finally killed him and secured the throne, but now you have lost it in my hands. You cannot be blamed for this. I also hate the Shen family and every one of you.”

“So, in the underworld, everyone has their own culprit. Go and seek revenge on your elder brother.”

With a wave of his hand and a drop of his sword, the one who died was the former great monk.

The newborn is the empress.

“So our Majesty established the Xin Dynasty as the King, and she is also the only female emperor in hundreds of years.” Speaking of this, the teacher nodded, looking very immersed.

The Imperial Academy enrolled its first batch of students, both male and female, on this spring day.

The empress, dressed in an apricot-colored dress, stood behind the door, secretly listening to the movements inside.

“Why don’t you go in and listen?”

After Hengzhi finished his discussion, he rushed to the Imperial Academy to look for the emperor. He did not expect that the emperor was sneaking around here, which was a bit funny.

Cui Yan made a gesture to keep quiet, “I just came to check the situation, why bother going in and disturbing them.”

The first thing she did after ascending the throne was to open academies and recruit students. The Imperial Academy was the first in the capital. As long as one met the requirements and had no criminal record for three generations in his family, and sent a gift of tuition, he could study in the academy.

“You have established this with your private library, it will definitely work.”

Hengzhi stood at the bottom of the stairs, folding his arms, just able to look her in the eye.

“Do you trust me so much?” Cui Yi’s tone was doubtful, but her body was honest as she leaned on his arms.

“My Lord, how can I not believe what you say?”

Taking advantage of the good weather, Cui Yi and Heng Zhi moved all of Empress Chen’s old belongings out of Changsheng Hall, especially the books, which needed to see the sun.

Hengzhi spread out the set of music scores, but his eyes could not leave Cui Yi, his wife, who was as bright as spring flowers.

Stripped of all her identities, in this small courtyard, she was just his wife.

A piece of paper fell out along with the music score. Hengzhi was distracted and bent down to pick it up.

The handwriting was very familiar. They had corresponded countless times, and Hengzhi could tell at a glance that it was her handwriting.

It’s a marriage certificate.

He used all the compliments and words of love, and signed the letter with both of their names.

And the time was actually the day they met in Yanqing Tower several years ago.

Hengzhi raised his eyes and looked at her.

She looked at him with a smile, as if she had expected it.

In those eyes, there were traces of him from beginning to end.

“I have written the marriage certificate without your permission. We can now hold the wedding that we didn’t expect.”

She did not have a harem of concubines, just as he did not have any distractions.

That’s all.

(End of this chapter)