The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 200: Broken Ke
"The trees are maple, oak, camphor, elm, oak, pine, cypress, nanmu, pomegranate, and acacia. Their trunks are a thousand feet high and they cast shade over ten thousand acres. They sway in the wind and their branches creak in rhythm. Their sounds are loud and clear. The zither and zhu are played together, and the sheng and 绹 are played together." - Zuo Si's "Ode to Wudu".

Liang Palace, Zhaoyang Courtyard.

Zhang Hui didn't like the gloomy and cold palace, so Zhu Wen opened up a garden in Luocheng and planted flowers and trees collected from all over the country according to the records of the ancients. There are 100-year-old lychees from Fujian, He Bao Ping Zhong from Xuanzhou, and maples transplanted from Shanzhou. There are pomegranates, camphor trees, cattail trees, oaks, and nanmu trees. There are lush jujubes and bodhi trees with twisted dragons...

Every autumn when the forest is dyed with red, the red leaves are gorgeous and passionate, the pomegranates that tell of longing are bent, the quiet and noble Pingzhong drifts behind the wall, the afternoon breeze blows, and countless golden butterflies and yellow leaves dance in the sun. Like lights and bells, they reflect the colorful Zhaoyang Courtyard and dispel the loneliness and solemnity.

Zhu Wen really put a lot of effort into pleasing Zhang Hui.

The lotus has withered and there is no rain cover, only withered vines floating on the water. A narrow curved bridge is built over the blue waves, leading to the round altar on the other side. Under the lush bodhi tree, the lotus stove releases a mysterious fragrance. The fragrant wind blows, and the graceful Queen of Heaven kneels in front of a dark medium-sized lacquer table with her back to the lake. The light purple gauze cloak covers the fascinating curves, like a late spring mist covering the steep peaks of Yuxiu.

The Lingji Qin with snake-belly cracked pattern on the lacquer case is even more amazing. It is called Lan Ke, one of the thirteen Qins made in the Tang Palace during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. It was the spoils of war that Zhu Wen seized in Chang'an when he entered the pass from Chao. When he married Zhang Hui, it was the most valuable item in the betrothal gift. In addition, he also successively obtained the Zhenguan Palace Qin: Wei Wuji. Kaiyuan mother-of-pearl black gold red sandalwood five-string pipa: Changsheng Guifei. Zhide Palace Qin: Shengsheng Zhengdao.

Holy sermons are too political.

Wei Wuji, Taizong's favorite, was not even brought into the mausoleum by Emperor Taizong. Out of respect, the Queen Mother never used him.

The Imperial Concubine of Eternal Life... her beautiful eyebrows died before the horse's arrival. The object of her immortality met with a tragic death. The remaining soul of Yang Yuhuan might be attached to this pipa and should not be disturbed.

Therefore, the zither used by the Queen Mother was just a rotten one.

Maybe there are psychological factors as well.

The first owner of Lan Ke died in a cold courtyard. Now she, who plays Lan Ke, sits alone in the bamboo forest, with a dead heart and a wolf as her companion. Isn't she another Li Ang?

It is equivalent to four Yi feet of work!
The slow and steady action of plucking the strings suddenly became faster without any warning, as fast as the wind and as aggressive as fire.

The sound of the strings is sometimes sharp and piercing, sometimes faint and rustling, quietly adding a gloomy and resentful atmosphere.

In her hands, Lan Ke seemed to be possessed by something.

The queen vented freely.

She finally found out that her brother was not dead, but was captured by Li Ye and was participating in the war against Zhang Cunjing in Hezhong, serving as a scapegoat.

She finally knew that the Eastern Expedition Army had massacred Yuncheng and Bochang County. The able-bodied men and women were conscripted into the army to carry baggage, and the old, weak, sick and young were thrown into the air, tied to pillars, or taken to the riverside, where they were all killed with arrows and spears, and more than 100,000 people were raped and bloodbathed.

Zhu Wen was unwilling to allow the thieves to do what they did, and the Queen Mother maintained a pale fantasy that was on the verge of collapse. When the warriors were clamoring to massacre the city, she must have tried to stop them, but she could not overcome the public anger.

She finally knew that Zhu Wen, along with Kou and He, had played with the families of dozens of officers from the two towns, including Zhu Xuan, Zhu Jin, and Shao Lun. They were loaded into carts and tortured along the way. Every day and night, some women were tortured to death, and some were even... their internal organs were taken out and cooked alive...

she……

"Tang!" With a clanging sound, a pair of jade-like hands with blood splattered pressed the strings of the zither, and the "Song of Nie Zheng Assassinating the King of Han" came to an abrupt end.

The Queen was sweating profusely, her chest rising and falling violently with her body, like a savage bear trying desperately to break free from the shackles of the blasphemous robe. However, her expression was the same as that of Saint Li, her pupils lost focus, staring blankly at Lan Ke, as if she was in some extreme torment.

Zhu Youwen, Zhang Cunjing, Wang Yu, Li Yi, Guo Xu, Wang Shaojie, Wang Yanzhang, Huangfu Lin, Dai Siyuan, Jia Sheng, Deng Jiyun, Jiang Xuanhui, Wang Gong, Zhao Yinheng...

"Zhuo entered the room, and Su stabbed him with his halberd. Zhuo injured his arm and fell off the carriage. He looked back and called out, 'Where is Lu Bu?' Lu Bu replied, 'There is an imperial decree to punish the enemy!' Zhuo cursed him, 'How dare you, a fool dog!' Lu Bu should be beheaded."

Xingjiao Gate, Xiama Gate, Jinwu Gate, Yutu Gate…

"The noble lady was nearly thirty, and Sima Yao teased her, saying, 'You should be dismissed because of your age, but I prefer younger people.' The noble lady was angry, and in the evening, Yao was drunk and slept in the Qingshu Palace. The noble lady drank the wine of the eunuchs, dismissed them, and ordered her maid to cover his face with a quilt and kill him."

"He Ji was guilty, and Tuoba Gui arrested her and was about to execute her. He Ji's son Tuoba Shao colluded with the guards and eunuchs, sneaked into the palace at night, and killed his father."

"Taibai passed through the sky again. It prophesied: 'The King of Qin will rule the world.' So Shimin secretly reported Jiancheng and Yuanji's adultery in the harem. He reported: 'Tomorrow they will be interrogated. You should report early.' At dawn, Shimin ambushed the Xuanwu Gate and rebelled."

……

Tick, tick...

Blood flowed from the cut fingertips, dyeing the strings red, and dripped onto Lan Ke one drop after another, nourishing it.

After struggling for a long time, the Queen raised her head, her black hair hanging down, and her dazed eyes looked up at the Bodhi tree tied with red ribbons.

"The body is the Bodhi tree, and the mind is the mirror. The mirror is originally pure, so how can it be stained by dust? There is no Bodhi tree, and the mirror is not a stand. There is nothing originally, so how can dust be attracted?"

The Queen felt that this was wrong. Hadn't she been doing the opposite for half her life? Originally there were all kinds of things, then dust appeared everywhere, and in the end there was nothing.

A new test of magic is coming again.

Picking up the broken chess piece and throwing it aside, the Queen of Heaven sorted her thoughts, spread out the rice paper, added a little ink, put her right hand behind her back, and started writing with her left hand as fast as flying.

"Appoint Xie Yanzhang to intercept Heluo and attack the bandits in Xiama: Entrust him with his strengths and let him focus on his duties to win. Xie Yanzhang, the guerrilla general and the instructor of Tabai, joined the army at the age of thirteen and became a general in his 10th year. He is a man of great power and is difficult to be seen by the strong. He is a talent for resisting insults and keeping the people safe. Recently, the wild Hu bandits have invaded, and the survival of Pingjin depends on it. I think Li Duo, Chen Lingxun, and Shao Ru are respectful in appearance but sinister in heart. They are not trustworthy enough to rely on. I will see Wanquan lying on my bed..."

"Pingyang is fighting for land, Chang'an is its gateway, black clouds are coming. The army is strong, and the fire is burning more and more. Zhang Cunjing is sitting alone in Jiang. How dare he say that Xiao Kuan will be resurrected and the Li family will suffer the same disaster as Handan, Jian, Chui and Huan? With Keyong going to Youzhou, the Tang ruler is confident of his constant victory and is advancing alone. This is the opportunity for a decisive battle... Soldiers prohibit injustice and punish cruelty. If you keep the right, your career will be successful, but if you commit sins, disaster will be hidden. Only Ming Chao and Cai died quickly because of poison, and no one died because of cruelty... I am not satisfied with the book, and I saw the army returning early."

"The campaign against Huaixi has been fruitless. During the campaign, Pu rebelled in Heyin and killed Xu commander Zhi Xiang. Zhang Yanqiu rebelled at Baijing Pass... The army has been out for a long time, the soldiers are agitated, and the generals are planning rebellion... It is better to use good generals to guard the border carefully. Wu Ziling, Xian Yu Mi and others are appeasing them..."

"Shi Yanci, the military commander, was a descendant of the generals of the Shen Ce Army for generations, and was greatly favored. Wang Tan, the commander of the Bashan Army, had been honored and favored since Emperor Xianzong, and the Tang Dynasty never let him down. However, during the chaos in Chaos, he vowed to destroy the country. Kou Yanqing, the right commander of the Changzhi Army, abused his power and acted arrogantly. He was cruel, cunning and fierce, with the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf. Your having Kou Yanqing is like Cao Cao having Sima Yi..."

"Respectfully, Your Majesty, the Sage of Pure Yang: I am very honored! It is the middle of autumn, and the emperor is touring the east. I have heard the list of names. Emperor Taizong Wen is more virtuous than the ancient kings, and his talent is unparalleled throughout the ages. He subjugated the Chinese at home and subjugated the barbarians abroad... and left a legacy for his descendants. Your Majesty was born in Ziwei and resided in the Northern Dipper. He was ambitious and heroic, and his rainbow pierced the mountains and rivers. His great achievements were outstanding, and his power surpassed that of the Dragon and the Wilderness. He was a ruler of restoration, unparalleled in modern times. How could he accept the influence of the outside world and invite horses to drink from the river... Thieves and bandits broke out, and people rose up together. Bian Song was trapped by invasion and violence, and he fought against all directions for the sake of the people... Now Your Majesty can really eliminate harm for the world, capture arrogant warriors, and make them wear tall hats. Sweep away the evil spirits in the eight directions and let the beasts return to the fields. Then who in the world would not be a guest, not just the Liang people? Raise the banner of pacifying the chaos, and you should be vigorous. But if you use military force, although Jiangzhou is small and the Central Plains are exhausted, the city is well-fed, and although there are millions of people, it is not easy to be attacked... I think of my past..."

As I write this, the Queen's face is slightly hot. Why would I subconsciously speak so gently to a young man I have never met, to my enemy? When he mentions me, he is so... My heartbeat speeds up inexplicably, and I don't know whether it is due to nervousness or hatred.

The Queen Mother received Zhu Wen's request to write a letter to anger Li Ni. But judging from the words, she seems to have a good impression of Li Ni... Whether it is because of the need of the occasion, she had to hold her nose to praise him, or... forget it, I can't make it up anymore - he is ambitious and powerful, and his achievements are outstanding. He is a master of restoration, unparalleled in modern times. I'm afraid she didn't say such corny words to Zhu Wen... And the main purpose of the article is to persuade Li Ni to go back home, and she didn't humiliate Li Ni as a woman as Zhu Wen requested... The Queen Mother is not right.

"..."

She wrote more than a dozen letters of various kinds in one breath. Some were sent to the court, some to Zhu Wen, some to some ministers, and most were replies to Zhu Wen's letters. The Queen's vigorous energy and quick wit stunned the female officials and temple servants beside her. This was also the reason why Zhu Sheng worshipped her like a god. "Wen must first invite her to visit. If there is something that cannot be done, she will come as scheduled once she is summoned."

It has been like this for ten years, feeling like a mom-and-pop shop.

Although the two had serious disagreements on many issues and drifted apart since last year, Zhu Wen's reliance on her did not diminish at all. It did not diminish. Zhu Sheng was not illiterate, but how well educated could a "Dangshan farmer" be who was attacked by the Later Tang Dynasty for his identity? They all worked part-time and studied part-time after the rebellion, and were far from the queen who came from a two thousand stone family.

"Give it to Jiang Xuanhui and ask him to deliver it."

"The Envoy of the Imperial Court is in..."

"Don't ask, just do it."

"only."

After the monks had gone away in a hurry, she simply rubbed her wrists and returned to her normal dead look.

The maid looked at the pair of bloody hands that looked like they had been rolled in a dye vat, and was about to ask the Queen Mother to bandage them, but unexpectedly the Queen Mother stood up, stared at Lan Ke who had moved to the corner for a long time, and slowly reached out and picked it up.

The Queen of Heaven held the Lan Ke, which was covered in blood, diagonally. She stroked the strings with her right hand. Her eyes revealed a rare regret, strangeness, unfamiliarity, confusion, and utter disappointment. She didn't seem to be blaming the zither, but felt distressed for being hurt by something she trusted: "I thought that Lan Ke wouldn't cut my hand."

"Saint..." The maid handed over an embroidered handkerchief.

The Queen Mother ignored him, put the rotten chess piece back on the flat lacquer table under the Bodhi tree, turned around, grabbed a handful of swirling colorful fallen leaves, and floated away from Zhaoyang Courtyard.

　Note 1: Pingzhong. It is the Ginkgo tree, one of the ancient ornamental trees, also known as Pingzhong, Gongsun, etc.

　　Note 2: Imperial Qin. Music flourished in the Tang Dynasty. Every emperor would make a set of personal musical instruments, including pipa, qin, etc. There were several of each, and the emperor of the Tang Dynasty would generally give them names. After being scattered in the war, they were passed on to the people. In the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, the musical instruments of the Tang Dynasty were still the top collections. Even the wild man Wang Fuzhi, who went into the mountains with his hair untied, could not resist. At present, some museums still have collections.

　　Note 3: Black gold pipa. Li Longji's masterpiece. There is a real collection in Nara, Japan. It was brought back by the Tang envoys and has survived until now. You can check it out online. It is a top national treasure.

　　Note 4: Names of palace zithers. Speaking of palace zithers alone, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty usually gave them names one by one.

　　Note 5: It is in the standard of Si Yi Chi Gong, the phonetic notation of the Tang Dynasty.

　　Note 6: "Nie Zheng Assassinates the King of Han" is a famous guzheng piece.

　　Note 7: Bodhi trees were introduced to China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and were usually planted in temples. Buddhism was widespread in the Tang Dynasty, and the author infers that most dignitaries would plant this tree at home.

　　Note 8: Pi means big, great, or magnificent. If followed by a noun, it is an adverb of degree.

　　Note 9: Zhaoyang. In classical Chinese, in ancient times, it was generally used to describe the good relationship between men and women in the upper class, and also to indicate that the man favored the woman, and also referred to a favored woman, and also generally referred to the residence of a favored concubine. After Li Longji, the derogatory meaning outweighed the complimentary meaning. You can use it yourself, but if others use it on you, it is probably a hint that you and your spouse will not have a good death.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)