Charging Chapter (8 points)

  Chapter 243: The End (Part 2)

  Watching Langling Wang hastily leave, Zhang Gui's eyes sparkled.

  Before long, she gave a soft order: "Come in."

  "Yes."

  Cheng Shi and Li Jiang were summoned to the side hall.

  "Yes."

  It's been several months again.

  As Gao Wei gradually took control of state affairs, the ministers of Qi began to despair of this emperor who they had originally thought was weak and easy to manipulate.

  On this day, Gao Wei, at the request of his wet nurse, actually issued an order to start granting official titles to the women in the harem. Starting with his wet nurse and then extending to the palace maids.

  Later on, the 500 palace maids in the imperial palace were all promoted to the rank of county officials. Each maid was awarded a skirt worth ten thousand pieces of gold and a mirror stand worth a city.

  Then, Gao Wei began to build extensively in Jinyang, constructing twelve palaces with elaborate carvings and paintings that rivaled the beauty of Ye City. The treasures within the palace were often cherished in the morning but discarded carelessly by evening, like worn-out shoes.

  Also in the two mountains of Jin Yang, two large Buddhas were carved, and craftsmen worked day and night. At night, oil was used as fuel, with tens of thousands of boxes of oil burning simultaneously, illuminating several dozen miles around like daylight.

  The state of Qi had suffered two major defeats in a row, and its national strength had already been greatly depleted. Now, Gao Wei's actions were like adding fuel to the fire. For a time, the court was in chaos, the people's strength was exhausted, the labor service was heavy, and the national strength was empty.

  Gao Wei didn't take any of this to heart, calling himself the "Carefree Son of Heaven". He picked up his se and sang to himself. Nearly a thousand eunuchs and palace maids in the palace accompanied him in song, filling the entire imperial palace with music, presenting a scene of peace and prosperity.

  On this day, Langling Wang tightly pursed his thin lips, only looking in the direction of the imperial palace with his hands behind his back.

  Behind him, a burst of baby's giggles came, hearing this laughter, he couldn't help but smile, only to frown again.

  He felt a deep sorrow. It was a kind of sorrow that had a strong sense of justice, but was powerless to change the situation, it was a profound pain.

  A sound of footsteps, in the blink of an eye, Cheng Shi reported to him: "Duke, the people who came to offer gifts have all left." He said in a low voice: "The Duke has opened his mansion so grandly and accepted bribes everywhere. Many officials are dissatisfied and have already submitted memorials to the Emperor."

  The King of Lanling lowered his eyes, and after a while, he said in a low voice: "I know."

  After a moment of silence, Cheng Shi looked at the worried Langling Wang and felt that Zhang Gui's words had reached their mark. He cleared his throat and said slowly: "The king wants to use greed as an excuse to sully himself in order to avoid the emperor's suspicion. Is it really necessary? Whether it is Hangzhou or Jingzhou, even if it is a remote mountain forest, there are always places of seclusion. Why doesn't the king want to leave?"

  The King of Lanling moved his lips, but couldn't say a word.

  Cheng Shi said, "In these six months, the Duke has won battle after battle, but with each victory, the wealth and goods he receives have doubled. In fact, the Duke is more aware than we are that Qi is no longer a place to stay for long."

  The Duke of Lanling's throat moved slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice: "I know."

  "Moreover, Prince, look at His Majesty, he is acting so topsy-turvy, will Qi State really have a prosperous time? The prince is still staying here, I'm afraid that in the end, you'll just be throwing your life away."

  Cheng Shi paused for a moment and said word by word: "Duke, look at the princess. Every time she turns her back to people, she always wipes away tears."

  The King of Lanling could no longer bear it, he spun around and rushed out of the gate.

  Watching him leave, Cheng Shi stepped back and said to Li Jiang who was approaching quietly: "It's your turn next."

  "Okay."

  These past few days, after Lanling King returned, his personal guards and good friends in the imperial court had been advising him, some secretly and some openly.

  He had been annoyed for several days in a row. On this day, he stormed back to his bedroom, pushing away the crowd with a burst of anger.

  As soon as he entered the bedroom, he saw Zhang Qi kneeling on the ground, covering her face with both hands and crying silently.

  Unconsciously, Lang Ling Wang's body softened and he slowly knelt down to the ground. Facing Zhang Qi, he choked with sobs: "Ah Qi, Ah Qi..." Kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face, "This is my home country!"

  Zhang Qi choked and said: "Chang Gong lost his mother at a young age, I'm afraid that Xia Er will also lose her father at a young age." She raised her head, tears streaming down like pearls, "Not only that, Chang Gong is not only Xia Er's father, but also my sky. If something happens to Chang Gong, I fear that in this life, I will fall into the hands of several people!"

  As soon as she said this, the King of Lanling shivered with a chill, and involuntarily, Su Wei's loud laughter before he left echoed in his mind.

  He closed his eyes heavily.

  At this time, Zhang Gui was prostrate on the ground, and she sobbed uncontrollably: "Chang Gong has passed away like this, I don't dare to live a life of stealth, but I have Xia'er, if even I, as his mother, were to go, how would he survive his long and arduous life? Unable to live, unable to die, Chang Gong, I am so afraid!"

  The King of Lanling slowly covered his face.

  Zhang Yi continued, "Chang Gong won battle after battle, but the people suffered more and more, while the Zhou became stronger. Your Majesty exhausted the people's resources, and even a palace maid in his palace was dressed more luxuriously than I am... Every time we met, I had to pay homage to them..."

  "Never mind!"

  "Ah Gui, I'm begging you, don't say anything more."

  He turned his head, staring blankly at the bed, where his son was desperately tugging on a silver chain, and tears blurred his vision. "Please, don't say anything."

  Zhang Qi was still kowtowing on the ground, and she continued to sob uncontrollably: "Our son, from a young age, was so handsome that even the Emperor himself marveled at him. Who knows what will become of him when he grows up without his parents' protection?"

  As soon as these words came out, Langling Wang suddenly shouted loudly, "Don't say anymore!"

  He sprang to his feet, turned around and glared at Zhang Qi with gritted teeth. After staring for a while, he closed his eyes tightly and said: "I'll start making arrangements for my departure right away."

  As soon as the words fell, Zhang Qi was overjoyed and raised her head, while not far away, Cheng Shi and others were also delighted.

  The King of Lanling was a man of action, and once he made up his mind to leave, he set about making arrangements. After repeatedly allowing his thousand-strong personal guard to "die" in battle after battle, on this day, as he was en route to take up his new post in Sizhou, he vanished. Also disappearing along with him were the family members of his guards who had been left behind in Ye City, Jinyang and other places in Qi territory.

  When Emperor Wu of Qi received the news that Prince Langya had disappeared, he had just obtained a stunning beauty, Feng Xiaolian. Holding the beautiful woman, drinking fine wine, and watching the palace maidens' songs and dances, this "Carefree Heavenly Master" only faintly murmured an "oh" upon hearing the news about Prince Langya, and then remained silent.

  In April 566, in the picturesque city of Hangzhou, a group of merchants from afar appeared. After entering Hangzhou, this group of merchants transformed into a local wealthy merchant.

  But no matter how curious Hangzhou people are, this wealthy couple has never let anyone see their true face.

  In this chaotic world, the winds and rains change unpredictably. More than a decade later, Zhou Guoyu Wen died, and his son ascended to the throne, but he turned out to be a foolish ruler comparable to the king of Qi. This new lord of Zhou established six empresses, and his greatest hobby was forcibly taking the wives of high-ranking officials.

  Years later, Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty unified the north and south, donned the yellow robe, and with the new emperor's strict governance, a thriving scene gradually emerged throughout the land. At this time, in Hangzhou City, that couple who had fled to the mountains during the great turmoil and re-emerged as wealthy merchants when the world was at peace finally revealed their true faces. It wasn't until then that people realized that the Lanling King of Northern Qi, who had won a hundred battles, and the peerless beauty Zhang Gui, had been hiding in Hangzhou all these years.

  (The end)

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