Stepping into the gorgeous inner hall of Zhou Mansion, Li Yuan, who was originally worried, raised his eyes and saw his old father-in-law Zhou Zong, welcoming him warmly and kindly as before, and the table was already full of food. A cup of tea. Li Yuan couldn't help but feel warm in his heart, and quickly stepped forward to help Zhou Zong. Weng and his son-in-law greeted each other for a while, and then they took their seats.
Entering the Zhou Mansion in Jinling for the first time, although Li Yuan didn't bother to take a closer look when he entered the house before, he sat in the inner hall and just glanced at the furnishings in the house. Compared with the left-behind mansion in the eastern capital of Yangzhou, it was even worse.
But Li Yuan always felt that there was more of a warm style here, such as the exquisite sachet curtains from the inside to the outside. The smell of it made people's hearts flutter, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, maybe there is a beautiful woman living here.
After taking a sip of hot tea, Li Yuan cupped his hands and said with a smile: "My son-in-law is late! How is your father-in-law doing lately?"
The wrinkles on his cheeks deepened a little, and Zhou Zong smiled very sincerely, then nodded and said: "The good son-in-law is interested! Well, I am naturally fine!"
"Father-in-law, the wedding has been delayed for another month after all, and Emperor E has been waiting so hard! My son-in-law is really uneasy!"
Seeing that Li Yuan looked a little ashamed, Zhou Zong raised his head and smiled, then waved his hands gently and said: "Haha, it doesn't matter! I heard about the Shouzhou incident. The virtuous son-in-law is loyal to the emperor and protects the country. Now his reputation has spread throughout Jinling. How can I blame you?"
Speaking of this, Zhou Zong suddenly frowned and spoke in a slower tone: "Even Emperor E, the wait has indeed taken a long time, and he has lost a lot of weight. Plus you... that's all. Anyway, your people have arrived!"
As these words came to his heart, Li Yuan could not hesitate and stood up quickly and said sincerely: "Father-in-law, please rest assured. Since Emperor E is my wife, she will be the mistress of my house from now on. My son-in-law will definitely be kind to her in every possible way!"
Zhou Zong stared quietly for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yeah! That's good!"
After Li Yuan sat down again, Zhou Zong stroked his long beard and said with a smile: "I just heard from your general that your Majesty summoned you? Well, this time you have achieved such great achievements, His Majesty will definitely be very happy. , you should be given a big reward!"
Li Yuan shook his head dejectedly, then said with a wry smile: "Father-in-law, in fact, Your Majesty..."
Zhou Zong was never an outsider, so Li Yuan only hesitated for a moment before telling him all about his experience of meeting the saint in Danqing Academy today. Li Yuan's speech was not fast, he just spoke calmly, but as Zhou Zong listened, the lines on his forehead became deeper and deeper.
Afterwards, Zhou Zong's face turned gloomy, he sighed and said in frustration: "How could this be?"
"Wonderful son-in-law, can you show me the painting your Majesty gave you?"
Li Yuan quickly called Lin Sichang outside the door and asked him to bring over the landscape painting given by Emperor Li Jing.
After all, Zhou Zong had been an official for many years, so he was naturally familiar with the ways of the study room. He first rubbed the drawing paper carefully, and after thinking about it, he came closer to look at it, and whispered in a low voice: "Well, five Laoqifeng, misty pines, springs and strange rocks... His Majesty's skills are extraordinary. This is indeed modeled after Dong Beiyuan's "Lushan Picture". It is somewhat lifelike, but the lines are a little rough. Look at these peaks and mountains. , the ink color is too thick... Your Majesty's words are true, this painting is indeed a bit too hard..."
small book booth
(Note: Dong Yuan, courtesy name Shuda, was born in Zhongling, Hongzhou. He was a master of painting in the Five Dynasties and the originator of southern landscape painting. Together with Li Cheng and Fan Kuan, he was also known as the "Three Great Masters of the Northern Song Dynasty". During the Southern Tang Dynasty, he served as deputy envoy of Beiyuan. Known as "Dong Beiyuan", his painting style was highly loved and admired by Emperor Yuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing)
Seeing Zhou Zong slowly put down the painting and remained silent, Li Yuan tentatively said: "Father-in-law, is your Majesty suspicious of me?"
Zhou Zong seemed to have thought about it for a while, and then slowly said: "Wonderful son-in-law, now that there are many countries and swords are everywhere, it is a time when people's hearts are unpredictable! In just half a year, you have worshiped generals and established festivals, and you have repeatedly performed extraordinary feats. To be able to do something like this at such a young age has attracted praise from the whole country. It is indeed too sharp! Even though Your Majesty cherishes your talent, how can you not be scrupulous about it?
Your Majesty is right, using too much force is never a good thing. But at present, it seems that His Majesty can make your merits and demerits equalize, but in fact, he still loves and protects you! Did you know that I asked Your Majesty to ask your virtuous son-in-law to lead the army north, but Your Majesty rejected it? Now it seems that I understand His Majesty’s approach..."
Li Yuanshen thought that it was true that Zhou Zong had been in the officialdom for many years, and it was almost the same as what he had inferred. Then he raised his hands and said in a deep voice: "My son-in-law understands!"
I saw Zhou Zong's eyes suddenly stopped at this time, his face gradually became serious, and he said coldly: "You have been away from the capital for a long time, maybe you don't know. In recent days, after Feng and Sun resigned, the situation in the court has been very different from before. Zheng The Wang Party is gradually coming to the fore, and the pressure on His Highness King Yan is getting tighter! But I never thought that this time the target of the attack would actually be aimed at you! The intentions are really sinister!"
Li Yuan acted a little surprised, shook his head and said: "Father-in-law, I don't remember when I offended His Royal Highness Prince Zheng and praised me so much..."
Hearing this, Zhou Zong just glanced at it with a hint of meaning and said indifferently: "Huh, you gave His Highness King Yan a good idea, do you think I don't know about it?"
Li Yuan smiled awkwardly and choked: "This, uh... my son-in-law is ashamed!"
"It doesn't matter! Now that King Zheng's faction is no longer hiding in the mountains, it is not a bad thing for King Yan! Alas, I don't know the current situation of His Highness King Yan. Sun Pushe has gone north to negotiate peace. Now I no longer expect His Highness to perform meritorious service, but only ask His Highness Come back safely..."
Seeing that Zhou Zong was hesitant to speak, Li Yuan hurriedly raised his hands and said: "Father-in-law, His Royal Highness, King Yan, is of high status and has the blessing of God. This time, His Majesty is determined to negotiate peace with the State of Zhou, so I think he will be safe and sound!"
Although he was still worried, Zhou Zong nodded solemnly, then regained his focus and focused on Li Yuan: "Xian son-in-law, I have lived for a long time and have seen too many loyal ministers die in vain! You are Emperor E The husband-in-law is my son-in-law. As the saying goes, you teach your son in front of your face and your wife behind your back. I have to tell you that this battle between people's hearts is often more dangerous than fighting on the battlefield! If you have great achievements, the courtiers will be jealous, and the king will be suspicious. From now on, you It’s better to play it safe.”
Seeing that Li Yuan was contemplating deep thoughts, Zhou Zong relaxed slightly and said, "But you don't have to worry too much. A good son-in-law and a general are rare. Your Majesty will always need you! Didn't His Majesty say that Gui Guan's war is going on?" It's a tight time, but this time you must act according to the order, and you must not act without authorization! Now that you have established a festival abroad, a feudal official, and military power in your hands, you are no ordinary general..."
The intention here couldn't be more obvious. If Li Yuan couldn't understand it, he would be really stupid, so he solemnly paused and said, "Thank you, father-in-law. My son-in-law will definitely remember it!"
Zhou Zong then relaxed his brows and smiled approvingly: "Well! It's good if you can remember it! By the way, when are you going to pick up Emperor E?"
Li Yuan replied without hesitation: "Of course the sooner the better! How about tomorrow?"
This answer seemed to catch Zhou Zong off guard: "Tomorrow?"
While Zhou Zong was thinking, he quietly groped with his right hand in his sleeve, quickly stuffed back the page of yellow paper he was about to take out, and then responded with a natural expression: "Well, although it is not an auspicious day, but According to the current situation, the sooner you return to Langzhou, the more peaceful I will be!"
Then he pretended to casually mention something: "During your absence, Prince Zheng came to visit frequently. He wanted to see Emperor E again and again despite being disrespectful, but I always blocked him from the door..."
King Zheng? Li Congjia?
Li Yuan almost stopped sitting when he heard this, and a sea of fire surged in his heart. What was going on? Emperor Zhou E was already his fiancée. Didn't this kid know? They have already been crowned kings, but there are so many beauties, so why are they still thinking about other people's wives? Is it really a bad fate?
Li Yuan couldn't help but look at Zhou Zong's fixed face, and said luckily in his heart, thanks to his father-in-law's good intentions, he has not been in Jinling for the past two months. If he really wants them to see him, he doesn't know what changes will happen. Not to mention what Zhou Ehuang thought in his heart, Li Congjia had to teach people to be careful. Not only was this guy born with a lustful nature, but he also had an incredible talent for pleasing women...
Feeling worried, Li Yuan clenched his fists and couldn't help but said angrily: "The majestic King Zheng, the prince of the Tian family, actually went so far as to covet the wives and concubines of my subordinates! Humph, how can I allow others to taint my wife, Li Yuan? Shameless man !”
Zhou Zong narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Yuan's angry look, and almost stopped laughing, but he still said calmly: "Ahem, don't be rude, that is His Majesty's son after all... In short, Let's go back to Langzhou as soon as possible tomorrow! As for matters in Beijing, you don't have to worry, I'll take care of you here!"
After gently smoothing his mind, Li Yuan came back to his senses, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, father-in-law! But father-in-law, aren't you going back to Dongdu?"
Zhou Zong waved his hand slowly and said: "I won't go back! His Majesty has issued a decree for me to be transferred to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and I have lived in Jinling since then."
He didn't forget to add a few words: "Oh, you don't have to worry. Merchant ships are going back and forth as usual, but you have to be more cautious in the future..."
When he clicked, Li Yuan immediately understood, nodded gratefully and said: "My son-in-law understands! Then I will go back first, and I will come to pick up the bride early tomorrow morning!"
