But her face had to be supple, and she said: "I disturbed the prince yesterday, and I felt very frightened and uneasy. When I came back from Zhige Courtyard, Aunt Yu sent a message. Today, the governor of Jiangzhou returned, and the prince's affairs I'm busy, so I can't see you off, it would be rude, so I have to trouble you to go out of the city to see you off."
"I am young and have little morals, so I shouldn't be good at foreign affairs. But there are no elders here to ask for advice, and I don't dare to disturb the prince rashly. I also think that Grandma Yu is an old man, so I will listen to her. There is nothing wrong. A woman from Jiangzhou does not have the courtesy to hide her face when she goes out. I have been rude when I first came to Yongdi, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
Lu Shen wanted to say a few more words, but she admitted it so happily and blocked her back: "Is that so?"
If she was crying and blaming others for her faults, Lu Shen would only feel bored. But she defended her like this, with a meek face and a neither humble nor arrogant tone, which made Lu Shen listen.
He was outside the city at noon and saw her at Shili Pavilion. Because she didn't wear a curtain and hat, she wanted her subordinates to see her appearance, which made her make frivolous remarks and lead to a minor lawsuit. He immediately remembered his grandfather's judgment: Wu Nu is passionate and restless in the family.
He thought she was unruly and went out without permission. After hearing her argument, Lu Shen suddenly remembered that Aunt Yu had indeed reported the matter to him last night. At that time, he was looking at the marching roll of parchment. Tu was in a state of wonder and said lightly: "Mommy is the one who decides on these little things. There is no need to report everything."
Lu Shen paused and said, "This is Yongdi, not Jiangzhou!"
Lin Rong did not argue, but knelt down and said yes: "I understand, I will definitely keep your teachings in mind."
A punch on the cotton made him look like a villain who was deliberately making things difficult for him. Lu Shen's mood faded and he stood up unsteadily, cursing in his heart: What a little girl!
…
Xuanzhou Yiguan
Sima Yunzhong was given a banquet by Lu Shenqiang. When he returned to the post house, it was already nearly rooster crow time. After taking a bath and changing clothes, he came to the lower room and waited outside the door to ask for an audience: "Young Master!"
Someone inside coughed and called: "Sima Gong, please come in!"
Sima Yunzhong pushed the door open and went in. He saw a lamp on the table like a bean, and a man in Gebu linen clothes sitting on the couch with his hair spread loose. He smiled: "Master Sima came just in time to finish the game with me."
Sima Yunzhong said yes. He sat across from the man and couldn't help but persuade him: "It's too risky for the eldest son to come to Xuanzhou in disguise. The king of Hejian has only the eldest son. If anything happens, where will all the civil and military officials of Xudu be placed?" land?"
The man looked young, with red lips and white teeth, as if he were a young man. Hearing the words, the corners of his lips curled up, but without answering, he asked: "Sima Gong has come all the way, how do you see Lu Shen?"
Sima Yunzhong stroked his beard and said: "Lu Shen is a brave and resourceful person, very good at using troops. When he first led the army, he often defeated the strong with the weak. When his father died, Yongzhou took him as the leader and worked hard for nearly ten years. We pacified three continents and five counties, and captured most of Jiangbei."
The man nodded: "Taifu Xie wrote to my father five years ago, saying that although Lu Shen looks like a white-faced scholar, he is quite brave. He is similar to Xiang Ji in the Han Dynasty. He should be summoned back to the capital for custody. If he is left alone, he will be punished someday. It became a serious problem for his confidants. Unfortunately, his father was about to conquer the west at that time. He didn't want to cause more trouble, so he laughed at the left and right, saying that he was just a white-faced boy. Why was he so afraid? Now, Lu Shen alone controls the north of the Yangtze River and has the power to form a tripod. It's too late to regret it. .”
Sima Yunzhong pressed a white seed and shook his head with a smile: "My eldest son, it's not, it's not, that's not the case. Although Lu Shen has the talent to lead the world, he is impatient and intolerant, and he is not what the master wants."
The man groaned and asked, "Where did Mr. Sima say this?"
Sima Yunzhong continued: "When I first heard about the marriage between Cui and Lu, I thought that Lu Shen was trying to gain the trust of the Jiangdong nobles and lowered his status for a grand purpose. But today at the banquet, Lu Shen, in front of a large audience, specially ordered Cui's daughter to serve. During the banquet, he used his wife as a maid to show his intention to humiliate the gentry. Lu Shen was from a commoner family, so even if he tried his best to win over him, he might not be able to get the loyalty of the gentry clan in Jiangdong. Today, when the name of humiliation spreads, Lu Shen is afraid He has lost the heart of the nobles in the world."
The man smiled and said: "Sima Gong is truly the best person in the world for his ability to watch fire."
It was rare for Sima Yunzhong to hear praise from this eldest son, so he couldn't help but feel a little complacent, saying: "Old ministers have been watching all the way. Lu Shen used to be a simple man with few desires. After he captured Xuanzhou, he sang, danced, and flirted, and networked with beautiful women. It can be seen that he is full of ambition and does not take the nobles in his eyes. Now the world is divided and the heroes are in chaos. The king of Hejian is in Heluo, and the nine states in the world occupy four. Except for Lu Shen in the north, all counties in the south of the Yangtze River are There is nothing to fear, given time we will surely unify China."
The man held up his palm and sighed loudly: "My father has Sima Gong, so why did the emperor of the Han Dynasty have a flute? Lu Shen took Xuanzhou, and he was very satisfied, built a lot of construction projects, and enjoyed prosperity. His father wanted to conquer Shu in the south, but he was worried that Lu Shen would become powerful. The special gentleman went north to find out the truth, so it seems that there is no need to worry."
Chapter 14
After Lu Shen left, Lin Rong still sat in the side hall for more than an hour. Then several maids and mothers-in-law came: "Madam, the banquet is over. Miss Hangqing ordered the slaves to send you back." After getting into the sedan chair and carriage, he walked out of Jinming Terrace and headed towards Jiedushi's residence.
At this time, the sky was slightly bright, and Lin Rong was leaning against the wall of the sedan chair, smelling a faint smoke from cooking. The street was still quiet, with the occasional sound of galloping horse hooves, and the sound of early-rising vendors selling cooking cakes.
When I passed the second door, the warm wind blew the sedan curtain, and I saw a woman leading dozens of women in rich and colorful clothes to the inner courtyard. The little girl who had been following the sedan all the way last night saw Lin Rong's eyes looking puzzled. She said in a voice: "Madam, these are the beauties presented to the king by the pastors from various places. A batch has already arrived, and this is the second batch. I heard from Sister Hangqing that in three to five days, there will be another batch coming from Bohai County. It’s being delivered over there.”
Nanny Qu, Jing Qin and Feng Xiao stayed up all night. At dawn, they leaned on the small table and took a nap. When they heard the noise, they immediately lifted the curtain and came out. From the small sedan chair in the courtyard, they helped Lin Rong to the Arhat bed. .
Kingfisher placed a pillow behind Lin Rong's waist. Seeing that her eyes were blue and her face was haggard, and even the clothes she was wearing were not the same as when she left, she choked and said, "Master, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Rong shook his head and said to Nanny Qu: "It's hard work for these people to send me back. Nanny will thank them for me."
Aunt Qu agreed, opened the box containing copper coins, gold and silver coins, took them out on small tea trays, and distributed them to the servants in the corridor: "I have never seen you in the past. I don't know how to call you. You have been working hard this time. The money isn't worth much, so it's just a sign of compassion from the master to go back and exchange it for a few pots of tea and wine."
Each person grabbed a handful of gold and silver ingots, and there were three or four in total. The big one was about the size of a longan, and the small one was about the size of a thumb. They were beautifully designed and engraved with auspicious words such as Begonia, Ruyi, and Longevity. The girls and women were so happy that they knelt down and said, "Thank you, madam, for the reward! Thank you, madam, for the reward!" Then they bowed down respectfully and exited the door.
Only the little girl from last night was still standing at the curtain holding a bundle. Lin Rong waved to her and smiled: "Why don't you go back?"
The little girl walked up to Lin Rong in small steps and spread the baggage in her hands: "Madam, the clothes you changed last night."
Lin Rong opened the bag and took a look. Sure enough, it was the short shirt and Hunan skirt that she had changed into. It was neatly folded, and there were also many pieces of jewelry. She ordered: "Mommy, put it away!"
She, a living person, was left hanging in the side hall for an hour or two without anyone to take care of her. What's more, the clothes she changed out of: "Did you clean them up for me?"
The little girl pursed her lips and pointed at Lin Rong's Jasper Moon Dang: "Madam, one of your earrings has fallen off. It's a pity. This earring has good water quality and is made from the same material as the old lady's dripping Guanyin. The old lady said that this pendant is lighter in color and is best worn by young girls. It was supposed to be a reward, but I don’t know who brought it to Xuanzhou."
Lin Rong gave a faint sigh, took it off, and handed it to the little girl: "Then I'll give it to you, or sell it for money, or keep it for yourself to play with. Thank you very much."
The little girl was a little surprised, then she put it in her purse with a smile, and said to Lin Rongfu: "I would like to thank Madam for the reward of Gui Yuan. When I am free, I will come to say hello to Madam."
Lin Rong smiled and nodded: "Okay!"
This little girl was lively by nature and seemed to be at peace in the inner room. Then she retreated and started running wildly on the paths in the yard.
Feng Xiao went outside and brewed some new tea, then came in and handed it to Lin Rong: "Master, which hospital's girl is this? She looks so stupid and crazy?"
Lin Rong's health was not good, and he had to take medicine every now and then. Now he had to stay up all night. His eyes felt swollen, his temples ached, and he was so sleepy that he wanted to fall asleep right away. It's just that she stayed at the banquet for more than an hour at least, smelling of wine and food, and said: "Go and prepare water. I'm taking a bath so I can get some sleep."
After a while, the girls carried the water up. Nanny Qu was worried and wanted to follow her master into the clean room. She asked Lin Rong to stop: "Don't worry, Nanny, it's nothing serious. Junhou called me there yesterday."
Did the Lord call him? Another night out? When I came back, I still looked bad. It looked like I hadn’t slept all night...
Aunt Qu didn't know the inside story, but when she heard these few words, her thoughts began to flow and her brows lit up with joy.
However, Lin Rong felt sleepy and didn't want to explain any more. After taking a bath, he forced himself to eat less than half a bowl of warm mushroom noodles, and then fell asleep. He didn't know how long it would take.
…
Lu Shen had an all-night banquet and returned home drunk. However, he had been in the military for a long time and his muscles were strong. After two or three hours of sleep, he was full of energy again.
The maids all lowered their voices and held their breath, waiting outside. When they heard a noise inside, a maid came in with tea.
Lu Shen was happy to be clean. After taking a bath, he came out of the clean room. He saw Hang Qing standing far away with tea and said: "You don't have to wait for me anymore. I heard from Hu Yan that you got a serious illness on the way. You will be recovering for a few days before you come back to work." Bar!"
Hang Qing nodded with a smile on his face: "Yes, thank you, Master, for your consideration." After saying that, without saying anything else, he put down the tea and exited the door, calling other maids to come in and serve.
After Lu Shen finished his meal, he read half of the military book under the window, and was about to go to the study when he saw Duke De coming from the path behind the moon cave door.
Duke De has been serving the Lu family since Lu Shen's grandfather's generation. Even the oldest uncle today is respectfully called "Mr.". He then stroked his beard and smiled and said: "When the Lord was alive, he often asked me to study more. My lord is always perfunctory, saying that you can't just read all the military books when fighting. It's better not to read them than to believe them. Now, I can't let go of the books."
Lu Shen smiled and saw Mr. De on crutches, so he helped him in. The two of them sat across from each other in front of the chessboard. They did not talk about business and played chess over a cup of tea.
Only then did Duke De speak: "At the middle of the game, how will my lord break the game?"
Lu Shen casually dropped a chess piece and knocked on the table: "Sir, what do you think of going north?"
De Gong said: "To the north?"
Lu Shen said: "My grandfather died at the hands of the Huns, and my father also died on the way to conquer the Huns. We, the Lu family, have had blood feud with the Huns for generations. If I, Lu Shen, don't avenge this, wouldn't I be a son of a man in vain? Isn't this the case?" One."
"Secondly, the world is torn apart today, and the one who is expected to be my opponent is King Xudu Hejian. Sooner or later, he and I will have a battle. If we don't clear out the Xiongnu in the north, we will be attacked from both sides. How can we win? It's better to fight hard. After defeating the Xiongnu, we can go south with peace of mind."
Duke De nodded secretly: "Sima Yunzhong's trip is called to congratulate the lord on his wedding, but it is actually to find out what is true in Yongdi. The lord pretended to be indulging in wine and sex at the banquet last night, and recently there was news of a major garden renovation. Wait for him The day we return to Luoyang is when the army of the King of Hejian marches south."
Lu Shen said: "The Yang Mansion in Shu is proclaiming itself the King of Qi. According to the report from Detective Ma Si, King Hejian is expected to recruit 400,000 civilians and 200,000 elite soldiers for this southern expedition. Such a huge march will take three months to reach the Yangtze River. , regardless of victory or defeat, I am afraid that one year will not be enough to return the enemy. One year is enough to deal with the Xiongnu."
Duke De nodded thoughtfully: "In terms of how to use soldiers, I am far inferior to my lord."
When Duke De said this, he changed the topic: "It's just that I heard that my lord summoned Cui's daughter to serve at the banquet last night." He paused, and seeing that Lu Shen's face looked good, he continued: "This move has dispelled the suspicion of King Hejian. , but it also makes those talented people from aristocratic families who plan to serve the Lord feel hesitant."
Lu Shen laughed and didn't take it seriously: "Gong De, Emperor Qin and Han Wu, do you want to conquer the world with your aristocratic family? Do you want to conquer the world with talented people who can talk about metaphysics? If these aristocratic families are used by me, then use them; if they are not used by me, then they will be used." Then destroy them. Regardless of whether the talented people in the world bear an insulting name, behave in a ridiculous manner, or are unkind and unfilial, as long as they have the skills to govern the country and use military force, ① I, Lu Shen, will not reject anyone who comes, let alone the common people. Origin?"
Duke De finally forced him to tell the truth. He coughed a few times and said, "My lord has quite a lot of experience in using people to govern. I can rest assured."
The two played another game of chess, and then De Gong took his leave. Because Lu Shen had to perform a show, he rested for half a day and looked like he was hungover. Then he ordered his men to prepare their horses and headed for the military camp.
He threw away the book and sat up on the couch. He saw an emerald earring left on the mat, which was bright and clear, with a faint element of light. I frowned and thought for a long time, oh, it belongs to Cui!
Cui? Lu Shen muttered something vaguely, then raised his head suddenly, and suddenly the image of Cui Shiniang standing next to the candle last night appeared in front of his eyes, her gentle and graceful appearance, with stars and phoenix eyes, and clear blue eyes. He felt something in his heart and called the maid outside to come in. : "Here comes someone!"
The maid Lu Yun opened the curtain and came in. She stood five steps away and said, "Your Majesty, the horses are ready. Do you have any other orders?"
Lu Shen didn't respond, and Lu Yun timidly called out again: "Junhou?"
Only then did Lu Shen come back to his senses, and thought to himself, it is not the behavior of a gentleman to embarrass a woman. He did humiliate her by ordering her to serve at the banquet last night. He also wronged her in the incident at Shiliting. He ordered: " I remember there is a batch of jades from the former Master Minggang, you can send them to Cui Shiniang later."
Lu Yun agreed, and when Lu Shen went out, he couldn't make up his mind and went to the back porch.
The little girl who was serving Hang Qing was sitting on the doorstep, tying her knot. She welcomed her in. When she saw Hang Qing doing needlework under the window, Fu Shen called out: "Sister!"
Hang Qing just took off her bun, changed her clothes, and lay on the couch for a nap. When she saw Lu Yun, she didn't see her outside. He waved her and pulled her to sit in front of her: "What's wrong with my sister? I'm as old as you." . The two nuns are old and not in good health, so they asked me to serve you. I have only been in Xuanzhou for a few days. I am not familiar with the place, so I have to ask you to take care of many things."
Lu Yun lowered his head: "Sister, what I said shocked me. I am stupid. I always only serve tea outside and never go into the house. I used to listen to the orders of the two nuns. Now that sister is here, Naturally, I will obey my sister's orders. Today, my sister took leave of absence. I was waiting outside and heard the Lord calling for orders. I saw no one answered, so I went in."
Hang Qing listened and said with a smile: "You just came here. You don't know the temperament of the prince. In the past, old ladies and madams said that the prince was the most picky in employing people. It's not just you, even I don't often come into the house to serve. What? What's the matter with you coming?"
Lu Yun said: "The Lord ordered me to send a batch of jade articles from Master Minggang to my wife."
The smile on Hang Qing's face suddenly froze. He raised his hand to smooth his hair and put a few stitches on the embroidery bandage. Then he said, "Oh, Master Minggang's jade?"
Chapter 15
Lu Yun nodded: "Yes!"
Hang Qing asked again: "Didn't you give any instructions?"
Lu Yun shook his head and said honestly: "Junhou hurried out and only gave this order without specifying what it was. I had no choice but to ask my sister for instructions."
Hang Qing put down his needle and thread and thought for a while: "You don't know, Master Minggang was a famous jade master in the previous dynasty, and was known as the 'Jade God'. But he had no children or disciples in his life, and his unique skills were not passed down. . There are only twenty or thirty pieces of jade in existence today, including those in the Luoyang Palace. There is an old lady in our house who is highly respected, and she likes the jade he carved the most. Along with the female family members in the house, the old lady. My wife, my wife, my fourth grandma and several girls all like it. Not to mention the famous jades nearby, even an ordinary jade brand is worth tens of thousands of gold."
Lu Yun was stunned when he heard this: "Is it so expensive?"
Hang Qing said with a smile: "Our master's nature is that no matter how valuable things are, they are not valuable in his eyes. Well, you go back to work. I will go to the warehouse to pick some and send them to my wife in the afternoon. .”
Lu Yun knew what was going on: "Thank you very much, sister."
Lu Yun retreated, and Hang Qing put on her clothes and sat in front of the bronze mirror to do her makeup. After a while, a little girl opened the curtain and came in: "Girl!"
Hang Qing put down the ivory comb, turned around and asked, "How?"
The little girl replied: "It's still the same as before. The girls are not close to serve, and there are no new girls. This Luyun is also honest. When I asked her to watch the night yesterday, she did not come to the Lord. Girl, you I have just recovered from my illness. I stayed up all night yesterday. I went to open the warehouse to deliver things. It would be better for you to rest for a while. The princes and princes have already sent word to my sister to rest for a few days. There is no reason to send people to serve her. "
Hang Qing frowned: "Why did you start saying such things? What is being honest and not being honest?"
The little girl lowered her head: "I just feel sorry for you girl."
Hang Qing sighed: "I have to go in person."
Lin Rong lived in a side courtyard in the southeast corner. It didn't have a serious name. It was originally the place where the first wife of the owner of the garden retreated to worship Buddha. It was remote and quiet. Just after the sun had passed in the afternoon, Hang Qing led a dozen girls and young children, took things from the warehouse, and headed to the southeast corner holding an umbrella.
