When the honor guard of Princess Jiangdu arrived on the west bank of the river, officials and troops from Anyang Kingdom came to greet them. Because it was the eldest princess's honor guard, the standard was very high. Although Huo Guang did not greet her personally this time, he sent Du Yannian, Lord of the Lifan Academy, to wait in person on the west bank of the river.
It has been almost two years since Liu Xijun left Hexi, but in just two years, he found that the changes here have been huge. A straight road from Wuwei to Dunhuang was completed at some point, and the team was traveling nearly half as fast as before. And Liu Xijun also discovered that a large number of troops and supplies throughout Hexi were constantly gathering towards Dunhuang. The entire Hexi seems to be running at high speed.
Although Dahan has been developing vigorously over the past year, it still cannot compare with the high-speed and intense pace of Hexi. This feeling is like the gap between trying your best and going all out, and the land of Hexi is the latter.
A few years ago, Dunhuang City was a small city that only provided supplies for business travelers. Now it has become the largest city in the entire Hexi and even the Western Regions. The size and population of the city are still first-class even among the Han Dynasty. Although it is relatively small. There is still a certain gap compared to Chang'an City, but it is not inferior to big cities like Luoyang and Chengdu.
Today¡¯s Dunhuang City is decorated with lanterns and colorful lights, and is filled with a festive and warm atmosphere. The marriage of King Anyang to the eldest princess of the Han Dynasty was a big event not only in Anyang Kingdom, but also in the entire Han Empire.
At the Jingyang Palace, officials from the Anyang Kingdom, big and small, were all dressed in fine attire. When it came to marrying the eldest princess of Jiangdu, the etiquette standards of the wedding gave Huo Tang, the Lord of the Grand Court, and Dongfang Shuo, the Lord of the Executive Yuan, a headache. It stands to reason that when the eldest princess gets married, she should be the wife of King Anyang, but Huo Guang already has a wife, the queen, so Liu Xijun can only be a concubine, but it is definitely impossible for the eldest princess of the Han Empire to be a concubine. Therefore, in terms of etiquette, the entire wedding ceremony was basically carried out according to the etiquette of kings marrying their first wives, with only some minor modifications made in some small places, which was similar to the first wives but slightly inferior to the first wives.
There is a newly built palace in Anyang Palace, which will be the future palace of Princess Jiangdu. It is also the place where King Anyang and Princess Jiangdu got married today.
The light and shadow on the big red candlestick in the palace swayed, and Huo Guang appeared outside the palace surrounded by the palace servants. The palace door slowly opened, and then Huo Guang walked into the palace alone. At this moment, the palace was magnificently decorated. In addition to Liu Xijun, the eldest princess of Jiangdu, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and exquisite makeup, there were also two confidant female officials she brought from Chang'an.
Huo Guang stepped forward and walked towards Liu Xijun step by step. Looking at the figure sitting in the distance, who was once his disciple and now his woman, Huo Guang still felt a little complicated. To be fair, Huo Guang had no romantic feelings for Liu Xijun. Back then, he only took action to change Liu Xijun's fate out of a little sympathy and the influence of the original historical ending.
"My concubine pays homage to the king." When Liu Xijun saw Huo Guang approaching, she took the initiative to stand up and greet him, leading the two female officials behind her to bow to Huo Guang.
"You guys really have a deep love for each other as brothers and sisters You should know that there is no love between a man and a woman for you. You will not be happy here!" Huo Guang lowered his head and looked down at Liu Xijun, just like he did back then. It was the first time I saw Liu Xijun in Taixue.
"It doesn't matter feelings can be cultivated slowly! Doesn't the teacher often say the word fate? It was fate that I met the teacher back then. Maybe fate is also destined that you will become my husband ." Liu Xijun slowly raised her head and said slowly, she is no longer the submissive girl in the Imperial Academy.
She no longer had to hide behind the plum tree and secretly look at Huo Guang. She could look calmly and look directly at Huo Guang. Today, she has a different kind of grace and confidence. At the same time, she naturally said the word husband to Huo Guang.
"Gu already has a queen. Even if you are the eldest princess, you cannot become Gu's wife. However, I will issue an edict and make you Princess Anyang. The princess will be the same as the queen, and her status will only be lower than that of the queen. Are you satisfied with this? "Huo Guang looked at Liu Xijun and said what he had thought about all morning.
Huo Guang also had to admit that power does change people. When he became the King of Anyang, even if he had no feelings for Liu Xijun, he still had to work hard on his face and even set up a harem status like a princess, which was the first of its kind. At least He wanted everyone in the world to think that he and Princess Jiangdu were in love.
"Princessit's such a nice title, I like it very much!" Liu Xijun showed an intoxicating smile on her face, as if she was very satisfied with this title specially set for her.
"This palace has no name, so you can come up with a name yourself." Huo Guang continued, talking about an unrelated matter.
"Let's call it Yonghe Palace!" Liu Xijun seemed to have had an idea for a long time. After Huo Guang finished speaking, she read out a name.
"Yonghe? That's great! Tomorrow Gu will order someone to hang the plaque of Yonghe Hall." Huo Guang repeated the word Yonghe and seemed to be very satisfied with the name.
"Actually, I have had a doubt in my mind for many years. Today, on this beautiful day, I have to ask!" Liu Xijun approached Huo Guang, raised his head slightly and looked into Huo Guang's eyes. His face no longer looked as relaxed as before. and banter.
"Tell me and listen." Huo Guang seemed to be interested as well. He looked at Liu Xijun with interest and said, and then sat down leisurely.
"In the fourth year of Yuanshou, there was a great victory in the Battle of Mobei. In March of the following year, Huo Guang, one of the Cao officials, entered Chang'an for the first time with Marquis Jinghuan. In the same month, in a barbarian tavern on Hengmen Street, he fought over a woman, who was the first of His Highness. Was it the first time you met Anping Hou Sang Hongyang? The conflict between you two started from that time, right?" Liu Xijun walked casually, but circled back and forth around Huo Guang, and finally stopped beside Huo Guang, leaning down and He tilted his head and said softly in Huo Guang's ear.
Huo Guang was unmoved when he heard the words. He just tapped his fingers lightly on the table in front of him, and then said calmly: "Keep talking."
Liu Xijun straightened his body, an inexplicable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then continued to speak: "The woman is fourteen years old at this time, her name is Li Yan, and she is good at music. She also has two brothers, one is named Li Yannian, and the other is Li Guangli. Li Yan's family lived in Maoling, and those who lived across the wall from her home were Sima Xiangru, the late Zhonglang general during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, and her wife, Zhuo Wenjun, who was later regarded as a close relative by the Marquis of Anyang."
Liu Xijun continued to surround Huo Guang and spoke word by word, but the smile on his face became more and more obvious. Huo Guang remained unmoved and seemed to be still listening to Liu Xijun's story, as if it was an ordinary story.
"As far as I know, everyone who met Li Yan later either died or disappeared, or like Dongfang Shuo, the Taizhong doctor at the time, he became the confidant of Anyang Jun. Yuanshou Liu In 1999, Li Yan was introduced to the palace by the eldest princess Pingyang. She was later granted the title of Madam and gave birth to a son, Liu Kun, the current king of Changyi. In the same year, Anyang Jun Huo Guang married Huo Xian, the maid in the palace, as his wife." Liu Xijun stopped. He stopped talking and just looked at Huo Guang with a smile on his face.
"Are you investigating me?" Huo Guang's face showed no anger, and even his tone remained calm as usual.
"No, no, no this is not an investigation Husband, do you know? I treat all men in the world like nothing, but you are the only one who is different. I want to know you, your past and Bit by bit." The smile on Liu Xijun's face faded, and he said with an extremely solemn expression.
Huo Guang still did not speak, but turned his head slightly to glance at Liu Xijun. It seemed that the word husband came from the mouth of this woman who had always called herself teacher, which made him a little uncomfortable.
Seeing that Huo Guang didn't say anything, Liu Xijun continued: "Back then, you were already the Great Sima Pingnan and the Great General, with all the power in the world. But for the sake of the current Lord of the Great Court, a woman who was originally an ordinary maid in your house, you actually cheated the Xuanshi Palace. The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty contradicted the emperor. Maybe you don¡¯t know how many women in the world are envious of Lord Yuan, right? Later, you were assigned to Taixue by the emperor. Maybe I, who was still young and ignorant at that time, had already fallen in love with you hehe"
"To get to the point" Huo Guang interrupted Liu Xijun's words that were almost a confession. He had to admit that Liu Xijun's investigation of Huo Guang was indeed meticulous, and some confidential things were also known to her.
Liu Xijun was not angry, he just stopped and knelt down in front of Huo Guang. Then he continued to stare at Huo Guang and asked: "I have always been curious about what Li Guangli wanted to say when he was in Fushi? I think even if Li Guangli had no intention of surrendering to the Huns, you would have killed him, right?"
"Then you have guessed it, right? Queen Anyang is the real Li Yan, the biological sister of General Li Guangli of the Second Division." Huo Guang suddenly spoke, and for the first time he personally told this secret that had been hidden for nearly twenty years.
"Then Liu Kunis it really yours?" Although Liu Xijun had already guessed it, when Huo Guang said it himself, she was still shocked, and she blurted it out eagerly.
"NoKing Changyi is the flesh and blood of the late emperor." Huo Guang shook his head gently and said seriously.
Liu Xijun felt slightly relieved when he heard this, and then smiled again on his face and said: "That's right. A woman who wants to become an emperor can fake her identity, but her body cannot be fake. And you were in South Vietnam before Liu Kun was born."
"Do you want to tell the queen this?" Huo Guang stared at Liu Xijun, looking at her closely and asked.
The real Huo Xian was dead long ago, and even Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was dead. He no longer needed to conceal these things, because even if the current emperor knew all this, he could not blame Huo Guang. Even Huo Guang is not afraid of anythingWhat a crime, the only thing worth worrying about is that if Li Yan knew that her brother was intentionally killed by her husband, she might be in some trouble. However, Huo Guang never regretted killing Li Guangli. The only reason was that this man was so ambitious that he would rather use the lives and deaths of Jiangshan Sheji and Liming people as bargaining chips.
"How could it beAm I just such a person who likes to sow discord in my husband's eyes? This will be my home from now on, so what's the use of my husband being uneasy in the palace?" Liu Xijun said quickly, with a sincere look on his face. look. She said the word husband more and more naturally, and looked at Huo Guang with a bit of resentment in her eyes, which changed her identity very quickly.
"It's best. You've traveled a long way and you've been tired all the way, so take a good rest tonight!" Huo Guang suddenly stood up without any warning, turned around and walked out of Yonghe Hall without saying a word.
"I would like to send you off to your Majesty." Liu Xijun showed no dissatisfaction with Huo Guang's sudden move, and even bowed to see him off with full courtesy.
After Huo Guang walked out of Yonghe Hall, a female official behind Liu Xijun stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Your Royal Highness, the eldest princess, tonight is your wedding night to the king. If the king leaves at this time, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to your highness's future in Anyang Kingdom!" "
On the wedding night, the groom was not there, leaving the bride alone to guard the empty room. If such a word spread, it would definitely be another rumor, especially if the newlyweds were the dignified King Anyang and Princess Jiangdu. If this rumor came out, it would make the world even more aware. Talked about it with relish.
"It's okay, take your time isn't it said that men like the new and hate the old? They especially like young and beautiful women. The Queen is no longer young, and even the Lord of the Courtyard is not young anymore, and I But they have everything they don't have. Don't worry, Gu will become the real princess of Anyang Kingdom. Andyou can't call me eldest princess anymore in the future. Remember to call me princess, do you understand? Liu Xijun said with confidence. She has a noble status, young appearance and outstanding intelligence. She is not worried about her future at all, and she is even sure that Huo Guang will really like her sooner or later.
"I obey, Your Highness the Princess!" The two female officials behind Liu Xijun bowed their heads respectfully and responded.
On the east side of Anyang Palace, there is also a main hall called Cheng'en Hall, which is the bedroom of Queen Li Yan of Anyang. At this moment, Li Yan was sitting alone in front of the window in the bedroom. She looked at the bright moon outside the window thoughtfully. After a long time, she quietly asked: "Have the king and the eldest princess gone to bed?"
"Back to the queen, the king has already left the eldest princess's bedroom. It seems that she will not sleep there tonight." Behind Li Yan, a female official also responded.
"Not with the eldest princess? Where has the king gone?" Li Yan continued to ask with confusion on her face.
"I went to the Lord's Mansion in the Grand Courtyard" the female officer said softly.
"Nonsense, he won't stay with the eldest princess tonight, why is he going to Tang Mei's?" Li Yan said with an ugly face. At the same time, she got up and wanted to persuade Huo Guang to go back, but after taking a few steps, she stopped again and thought After a while he said: "Forget it, just change my clothes and go to bed."
"In addition, pass on my decree and tell Manager Zhen that no one will talk about what happened tonight. If there are people who can't keep their mouths shut, let these people disappear forever!" Li Yan thought for a moment and then said to the female officer next to her. He gave an order.
This once gentle and virtuous woman has already had a new identity. She is the extremely noble Queen Anyang who is in charge of the Anyang Queen's Palace.
Dunhuang Courtyard Junfu, from the inside, there is no difference from Anyang Palace. In a magnificent palace, Huo Tang was wearing a thin silk dress and was pouring wine into the cup on the table. Opposite her, Huo Guang was staring at the wine cup with a relaxed smile on his face.
When the wine glass was filled, Huo Guang reached out to pick up the wine glass and drank most of it in one gulp. Opposite her, Huo Tang just took a small sip.
"My second brother came to my little sister on the night of his wedding. I'm afraid tomorrow's rumors will drown you and me, right?" Huo Tang put down his wine glass and said mockingly.
"Both Wu Ya and Liu Xijun are not simple. I'm afraid the Anyang Kingdom will not be peaceful in the future. It's really a family matter that makes the world sad But you are still not married yet. Do you think there are not enough rumors?" Huo Guang first said seriously. As he spoke, he glared at Huo Tang one last time and said with some complaints.
"It seems that my second brother, who was wise all his life, is helpless to do anything about the palace?" Huo Tang showed a proud smile on her face, and she seemed to be quite happy to see Huo Guang deflated.
"We are no longer young. Let future generations handle the future matters by themselves. How can there be an eternal foundation? Let's not talk about this. How are you preparing?" Huo Guang is very open-minded. He is not too worried about possible palace disasters in the future. In Huo Guang's opinion, the future is too illusory.?Just do what you should do in this life.
When Huo Tang heard Huo Guang's words, "We are no longer young," she glared at Huo Guang resentfully, then habitually stretched out her hand to stroke the hair beside her ears, and wiped it gently at the corners of her eyes.
Huo Guang watched Huo Tang's movements and saw the obvious wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. This once magnificent woman has indeed passed her prime years. Huo Guang stretched out his hand and gently wiped the corners of Huo Tang's eyes. However, even though he had become the King of Anyang and could be said to have broken free of all the shackles the world had given him, he still could not wipe away the traces of time on Huo Tang's face.
"It's me I'm sorry for you!" Huo Guang looked at Huo Tang and muttered to himself.
He is the obsession and demon in Huo Tang¡¯s heart. In fact, how can Huo Tang not be the obsession in Huo Guang¡¯s heart?
"Actually, this is good. No matter how many wives and concubines you have, your sister is only me. I, Huo Tang, am the unique Grand Courtyard Lord of Anyang Kingdom, and your only sister Huo Guang. Anyone can become your woman, but I But no one can replace it!" Huo Tang suddenly held Huo Guang's hand and placed her cheek in Huo Guang's palm. Her face was filled with a proud and happy smile, as if Huo Guang belonged to her alone.
After a long time, Huo Tang put down Huo Guang's hand, raised his head and said seriously: "Everything is ready. Together with the cavalry of the Northern Huns and Wusun, we have assembled an army of 250,000 in Dunhuang. Ten thousand of them are the most powerful. The elite cavalry are all equipped with Hanyang steel weapons, and this cavalry of 10,000 people is also equipped with Hanyang steel light armor. Although it is not full-body protection armor like An'an, it also has a clear restraint effect on An'an's horse-backing bow." Huo Huo Tang talked about the current military strength and preparations of Anyang Kingdom. When she talked about these, she turned into the confident and proud Lord of the Courtyard.