in2ebook Chapter 142 General's Mansion 13
Chapter 142 General's Mansion 13
However, you can actually understand the meaning of the list by looking at it.
These ten ladies, regardless of whether they participated in the beauty pageant or not, could not escape the fate of being plotted against, because they all had powerful families behind them.
The current emperor had been extravagant for many years, and had not paid attention to state affairs for many years. The pressure of this huge court fell on the officials and several adult princes.
In the past few years, when the emperor was in good health, he would not have thought too much about it. But after so many years of debauchery, his body had long been worn down by alcohol and sex, and his health was no longer as good as before.
Presumably, he must have been feeling uneasy at this moment, constantly worried about the loss of imperial power! That was why he came up with this idea of bringing the daughter of a powerful official into the harem to control all officials.
However, can such a huge ambition really be dispelled by the marriage of one's children?
However, the Zhou family was not included in the group, so it had little impact on Zhou Leping. He just stood by and watched the excitement, not taking it too seriously.
There was another thing that occupied Zhou Leping's mind: Jing Zhuo was going to join the army.
The border has not been peaceful in recent years. Jing Zhuo is already eighteen years old this year, and he has volunteered to go to the border for training some time ago.
Zhou Leping was reluctant and didn't understand: "Why did you propose to go to the border at this time? You are not yet an adult. Why don't you wait another two years?"
"I can't wait any longer. The court is about to fall into chaos. I have to have my own power before Daliang is completely turbulent. Only then can I seize the opportunity and get promoted when the court is in turmoil. This is also what General Zhou meant."
When Zhou Leping heard that it was his father's intention, he fell silent for a moment, and finally could only mutter a few words: "My cousin is about to get married, why don't you wait until after the wedding before leaving!"
Without answering the question, Jing Zhuo looked at the fiery red maple leaves on the trees and the horizon, with a smile on his face: "It's autumn now, let's go fly a kite."
Zhou Leping frowned: "We are about to go to the battlefield. If you don't pack your bags now, how can you still have time to fly a kite!"
Jing Zhuo seemed to want to fly it, so he pulled Zhou Leping towards his room and said, "Let's go, this is the last time. I'm afraid there won't be many chances in the future. Just treat it as a practice for me, how about we fly the goldfish kite?"
Speaking of the goldfish kite, Zhou Leping showed some interest: "You finally finished it!"
He wanted to see how beautiful the kite, which took him more than half a year to make, would be.
When he saw the fiery red kites covering the walls of the hut, Zhou Leping couldn't help but exclaim: "Even if you don't join the army, you can still make a living with this skill."
A huge, fiery red goldfish is clinging to the wall vividly, its scales decorated with gold powder, every part of it is carefully crafted, and its golden eye sockets are dotted with blood-red cinnabar, making the kite seem to have a soul.
The two men carried the huge kite and slowly headed out of the city, attracting countless people's attention along the way.
Zhou Leping looked at the envious eyes of the children on the street and proudly patted the goldfish's huge and flowing tail: "Huh, you can't play with it." This immediately caused a burst of crying.
Jing Zhuo sighed: "You can play well with these kids."
When they got outside the city, the autumn wind brought a hint of coolness, which blew away many of the handsome men and beautiful women who were out for a walk in the suburbs. There were only a few people scattered around the suburbs, but that didn't stop them from running into the wind while pushing their huge kites.
After the efforts of the two, the huge kite finally floated into the sky and swam in the blue autumn sky like a real fish.
Zhou Leping looked up at their kite, which was flying higher and higher, riding the wind. Its silhouette in the sky became smaller and smaller, until it turned into a tiny red dot whose color could not be seen.
But one end of the string was still firmly tied to the tree behind him. No matter how far the kite flew, as long as the string was wrapped around it, it would eventually come back. Just like Jing Zhuo. As long as the string was still there, their friendship was still there, and the two would eventually be reunited.
Zhou Leping stared at the sky with sore eyes. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a while. Then he turned his head and looked at Jing Zhuo: "I will try my best, and then I will go to the battlefield to find you."
Jing Zhuo shook his head: "If possible, I hope you can pass the imperial examination and live in peace."
Zhou Leping smiled but said nothing. Jing Zhuo also said nothing. The two of them just looked at the kite in the sky and enjoyed the wind outside the capital.
But suddenly, the wind in the suburbs gradually grew stronger, rustling the trees and blinding people with dust. Zhou Leping was not worried about himself, but about Jing Zhuo's kite: "Hurry up and take the kite back."
But how could he pull such a huge kite flying in the wind?
After the strong wind finally passed, the two opened their eyes and looked up at the sky. There was no trace of the kite in the sky. There was only a thick rope that had fallen limply to the ground from the tree behind them.
Zhou Leping looked at the broken kite string, and he was extremely disappointed: "What a good kite, how could it fly away?"
Jing Zhuo patted Zhou Leping on the shoulder: "It's just a kite. When it flew into the sky, its mission was over. Don't feel sorry for it."
"How can it not be a pity? You've been doing this for so long. It looks so good."
Zhou Leping stood up and looked at the direction of the wind: "The wind is blowing towards the capital. The kite must have landed in the capital. Let's go look for it."
Jing Zhuo held Zhou Leping's hand and said, "If you like it, I will make it for you later. This kite can be regarded as a gift from me to this city. After all, I don't know when I will come back next time."
After hearing what Jing Zhuo said, Zhou Leping gave up the idea of looking for the kite. He couldn't help but think that if the child he had just teased had picked up the kite, he would be so happy. However, anyone who picked up such a beautiful big kite would like it.
Even though he was very reluctant, Jing Zhuo still set off. After Jing Zhuo set off, it was time for all the beauties to enter the palace. After Zhou Leping came back from the suburbs, he received a gift from Princess Anhe, which was the little rabbit he had raised very well.
Zhou Leping probably knew what this meant. Princess Anhe had completely let him go.
She sighed heavily. This was fine. Only by letting him go could her life in the palace be better.
The banging sounds on the street outside continued until late at night, and the noise outside finally stopped. In this talent show, I'm afraid there are not many people who can laugh.