In danger, he traveled through time to save her, and the black-bellied prince doted on her

When Wang Rui was young, he did not have the carefree and unrestrained character of Xie Chibei, nor did he have his bravery in fighting in battle.

Wang Rui had no idea what it was like to be a prince who was the center of attention. He had never been to the prince's mansion. He only read by lamplight at night in a remote and leaky room in the Wang family's house. What he got in the end was that Wang Xun became an official for him.

The prince and general with great talent and strategy are planning to build a vast mountain and river network on the Heyuan land. These mountain and river territories were originally conquered by two generations of Xie Chibei and Mu Jinan's parents.

They are qualified to discuss who should be the king among the rivers and mountains, and they also have the potential to implement benevolent policies for the people.

In the past, Xie Chibei destroyed the Zhou Kingdom, and later rescued orphans and disaster victims, changed laws, and suppressed rebellions.

In the past six months or so, they have defeated the aristocratic family and torn it into pieces.

They are only sixteen or seventeen years old, but they can reach heights that emperors cannot reach in their entire life. This is so inciting jealousy and envy!

"Everyone knows that Mu Jinan is not a disaster for the country, but she is blamed. When she was seven years old, she stood in front of the Yuhe Iron Cavalry and looked at death as if she were alive. The 'bad poem' she wrote boosted the morale of the Xuanzhou soldiers."

"If she had won that battle, Mu Jinan would have been a famous little hero, but Xuanzhou was defeated, and that poem made her a feared evil star."

"Besides, she is the daughter of a noble princess, a goddess who has fallen into the world and is stuck in a quagmire. They all want to push her and step on her."

Wang Rui said this while holding his mother's tablet after getting drunk. He was not speaking up for Mu Jinan, he was speaking out for the injustice on behalf of his mother and himself, who were equally gifted.

There were talented people among the women, poor people, and humble families in the Great Sheng Dynasty. If his mother had come from a better family, he could have become a prince.

When Wang Rui was young, he wanted to study, but Wang Yu said that he was a bastard's son and was born to a prostitute. If he was not careful, Wang Yu would be implicated and dismissed from office. So Wang Yu always made Wang Rui stay in a remote hut.

Wang Yu personally taught Wang Xun and asked Wang Xun to study at the Imperial College. Wang Rui could only steal the books that Wang Xun threw in the corner.

Wang Xun tore the book into many pages, and Wang Rui would steal two or three pages each time, and Wang Xun would not notice.

Wang Yu intended to win over the poor Yao family and expand the family's power.

Yao Zhengqian's parents loved their son very much. Seeing that Yao Zhengqian was studious, they sold several treasures handed down from their ancestors and wanted to ask Wang for some ancient books.

Wang Yu saw that Yao Zhengqian was quite intelligent, so he asked Yao Zhengqian to copy ancient books in Wang's house. In front of the desk in the study, Yao Zhengqian always felt that someone was peeking at him. It turned out to be Wang Rui who was hiding behind the bookshelf and tearing up books.

Yao Zhengqian was a few years older than Wang Rui. Feeling sorry for Wang Rui, he gave half of the hundreds of books he had copied for two months to Wang Rui.

Before leaving Wang's house, Yao Zhengqian told Wang Yu that Wang Rui's handwriting was so powerful that it could be seen through the paper, and his strokes were like dragons and snakes. This person had a photographic memory and was a talent that could be cultivated.

Wang Yu saw that Wang Xun was inferior to Wang Rui in every aspect, so he decided to let Wang Xun replace Wang Rui as an official in the court.

Wang Yu found a girl from an honest family to be Wang Rui's mother, but later that girl died.

In the eyes of these powerful people, human life is just a few taels of silver. There is no difference between rewarding a hound performing on the street and rewarding them with death.

Emperor Ming at that time needed the support of the gentry, so he easily agreed to Wang Yu's request.

Emperor Ming left room for maneuver. He allowed both Wang Rui and his brother to serve as officials, and even told Wang Rui in person: "Your father had already planned to let your brother serve as an official."

Wang Rui went home and made a big fuss, and broke off relations with the Wang family. In his heart, he was grateful to Yao Zhengqian for giving him books, but he also resented Yao Zhengqian for saying that he was talented, which gave Wang Yu the opportunity to plot against him for a long time.

Later, Wang Rui and Yao Zhengqian became strangers.

The wind blew the whole crabapple flower to Wang Rui's feet, and the fragrance fell into the mud and dust. The word "style" existed, but it had long been lost. The tea on the table was cold, and a black chess piece fell into the ashes of the extinguished fire.

The lack of recognition of talent in peaceful times is nothing compared to the death in turbulent times.

In troubled times, it is often not the result of one person, but of countless internal traitors and incompetent rulers. Emperor Hui's governance methods of being wise today and foolish tomorrow, his son may learn them even faster.

When dynasties change, the ones who come to power may be generals who are good at fighting, but they may not necessarily be wise rulers.

The cold sweat on Wang Rui's body gradually disappeared. He looked up and looked into Xie Chibei's eyes. The two beams of wise light negotiated with each other. There was no retreat, nor did they push any further. There was only the great love for his country and the injustice for his childhood self and his mother:

"A country is based on its people, people depend on food, and food safety comes first."

"Now I have imposed heavy punishments that have crushed the people's foundation, imposed heavy taxes that have destroyed their fields, and plundered and sold them to destroy their safety. If a ruler relies on his people, he will reach far and wide, and the people will rely on him, and he can sit firmly on a dangerous throne. If a ruler abandons his people, he will endanger his country, and the people will be filled with resentment, and even a golden throne can be melted down."

"Your Highness has made outstanding military achievements, saved orphans and disaster relief, redressed justice, changed laws for the poor, comforted the people and punished the criminals, provided food and drink for the people, and all these achievements are incalculable. I am willing to serve Your Highness at all times and take on the responsibility of worrying about the people for the future of Dasheng. Please give your orders, Your Highness."

The red sun rose high in the sky, and only red light could be seen under the eaves. The faint glow scattered in Xie Chibei's deep pupils, three parts intimidation and seven parts solemnity.

If it were him, he would agree today, even if it was for his own life. In his eyes, Wang Rui was an uncontrollable and brilliant lurker.

Xie Chibei wanted to change a person's mind with just a few words? He would not let down his guard, nor would he be overly suspicious: "Sir Wang, I am not talented, and it is a blessing to have you as a good man."

Mu Jingyi sat aside, wiping Jun Zhenghui with an old handkerchief. The translucent sword blade reflected his handsome face, and the shadow of Wang Rui's slightly trembling robe could also be seen in the blade.

Xie Chibei thought: "Even if the 50,000-man army is in disguise, it is impossible for them to leave no trace when they pass through so many counties. The caravan may be trying to deceive people and make us believe that the army is all coming from the north to Sheng'an."

"During that time, Qizhou's Lin Huaisheng was demoted, Heyuan's Jiang Quan was transferred to Qizhou, and Jinzhou's Yang Hongrui was sentenced to death for corruption. It was the best time to mobilize the troops of the two states. Qizhou and Jinzhou are close to Zhongnan Mountain, and the Heyuan army led by Chen Xuan might be a fraud."

Xie Chibei drank the cold Mengshan tea and spoke again: "How did Chen Xuan get to Sheng'an? Did you let the Puzhou Juex caravan pass?"

Wang Rui knew he couldn't avoid this question: "The Youzhou soldiers are disguised as a merchant caravan, and the rest of the army are unorganized soldiers from Qi and Jin states."

Jun Zhenghui's cold gaze suddenly pierced into Wang Rui's eyes. His calm mood became tense again, and he was sweating profusely, feeling a chill in his bones.

Wang Rui looked at Xie Chibei's sharp eyes, which were already determined and ready to lead him into a trap, and at Mu Jingyi's aura of capture and killing, which had long known the situation:

"You guessed this when you were in Sheng'an, so you planned a strategy to deal with the enemy in advance?"

Strong winds destroyed the crabapple blossoms in spring, and countless whole crabapple flowers danced wildly in celebration of the dawn of the chess game. The entire yard was filled with white chess pieces, some of which fell outside the chessboard, and some died inside.

The sword bell made a faint thundering sound, and a pair of deep and mysterious eyes looked at the three of them. She curled her lips and smiled gently from a distance in Youzhou.

It was a game planned by the fifteen-year-old Mu Jinan in the Sheng'an court.