The next day, Li Yuan did not linger too much in the arms of the beautiful woman, but got up early on purpose. Li Yuan originally wanted to call his personal guards and send his handwritten memorial about sending troops to Jingnan overnight to the Privy Council, but after thinking about it, he finally decided to visit in person.
After all, the Privy Council is in charge of the country's military affairs. Although he, the Governor of Langzhou, has arbitrary power, all festivals and towns are still nominally under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council. Therefore, this visit is actually a gesture to show to outsiders. Local envoys When you return to the capital, you should show your face to the Privy Council. This cliché and unwritten etiquette must be done enough to avoid being criticized by others.
As luck would have it, there are only a few direct bachelors in the Privy Council today, because Wei Cen happened to be on sick leave at this time, and his deputy Li Zhenggu had already left Beijing and went south to Hongzhou to prepare for the war with the Zhou Dynasty. combat matters.
Originally, Li Yuan had been prepared to be hypocritical and submissive with Wei Cen and other King Zheng, but he felt relaxed and relaxed. Then his conversations with several bachelors in the Privy Council were naturally full of hypocritical politeness, simple and without nutrition.
There seems to be some resentment among these academicians. Just from their words, it can be heard that they are secretly competing with each other. However, Li Yuan has already seen clearly the intrigues and deceptions in the officialdom, and he will not let them go because of them. They were polite to their enthusiasm and relaxed their vigilance, always maintaining a reserved smile and speaking little. After all, in this place where the sea of blood is hidden, anyone could be someone else's spy, the guard at the door, the boy delivering tea, The old servant who sweeps the floor, or even the person who waters the flowers and cleans the toilet, may be the spy of a certain force.
The more high-sounding the occasion, the more high-sounding the words. Conversations that can truly tell the truth are often only held in secret rooms or private banquets, never in places like this.
The visit to the Privy Council ended quickly. Li Yuan left the memorial and left, and went directly to the Zhou Mansion in the east of the city to see him. This was the best place to really discuss important matters.
When the noble son-in-law came to the door, the doors of the Zhou Mansion immediately opened. The old steward still led a group of servants to greet him with a smile. Li Yuan walked through several familiar corridors and was led to the gorgeous main hall to wait.
Before he could take a sip of hot tea, Li Yuan was told that his father-in-law Zhou Zong had gone out to the government office early in the morning and was expected to arrive back at noon, while his mother-in-law Xu seemed to have just gotten up and was dressing up. Li Yuan smiled knowingly. A lady like her mother-in-law really knows how to take care of herself best. Going to bed early and getting up late is a traditional way for women these days to maintain their beauty, but most women cannot enjoy this kind of treatment.
In the backyard, Ms. Xu was looking at the bronze mirror and carefully pressing the flower patch between her eyebrows. The moment she heard the maid reporting Li Yuan's visit, Mrs. Xu's hand shook slightly and she almost crumpled the flower patch into a ball of paper.
The maids who were holding fruits and snacks outside the door and preparing to serve the lady for breakfast stood blankly in the corridor, trembling with fear as they listened to the madam in the room scolding the maid who came to communicate.
They were a little confused and wanted to turn around and leave to avoid getting into trouble, but they didn't dare to leave before they had served Madam for breakfast. After all, Madam would have to eat some rice porridge, two spring rolls, and maybe some more after getting up. I will eat two slices of topaz cake.
They knew in their hearts that if Madam skipped breakfast and became hungry, her temper would only get worse, so they had to persist until Madam called for breakfast no matter what. Maybe Madam's mood would change from gloomy to sunny after eating.
But they were still too stupid. Their wives no longer needed breakfast. When they learned that Li Yuan came to visit, their wives were already full of anger.
"My son-in-law pays homage to my mother-in-law!" Seeing Mrs. Xu's late arrival, Li Yuan quickly put down the tea cup in his hand, stood up and bowed his hands respectfully.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Xu replied coldly: "It's really brilliant that the Governor personally takes charge of our mansion! I'm late, please forgive me for my sins."
Li Yuanqing frowned, feeling baffled as to why his mother-in-law was so weird today. He then smiled and said: "My mother-in-law has ruined my son-in-law! What a governor, in front of my mother-in-law, my son-in-law is always just a junior, and he should be serving me." As a courtesy, what’s the point of waiting a little longer?”
"Hmph! You can talk." Mrs. Xu sat down on a seat a few people away from Li Yuan with a gloomy look on her face. After her chest rose and fell for a moment, she finally couldn't hold back and said, "My daughter is the one who was raped." Did you coax me with such sweet words?"
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Yuan was stunned and said hurriedly: "Why did my mother-in-law say this? Being able to marry her is a blessing that I have cultivated for three generations. I have always been open and honest with her, and I have never cheated on her? Now she is even more mature. Pregnant in Liujia, all we want from each other is to be like our father-in-law and mother-in-law, to grow old together and live happily ever after..."
When Mrs. Xu saw Li Yuan's smiling face, she had a lot of words in her heart that she wanted to refute but suddenly felt that she couldn't say them out. Then she sighed softly: "You also know that my eldest sister is pregnant with Liujia now... That's all, Li Yuan, do you know that when my eldest sister was deeply in love with you and insisted on marrying you, I actually refused."
Li Yuan shook his head deliberately and said with a smile: "I don't believe this. She is as smart and considerate as my mother-in-law. Ehuang and I are in love. Why does my mother-in-law love Ehuang? She will definitely not make her sad. How can she deliberately separate us? Mother-in-law Could it be that you have misunderstood me and are you deliberately running against me today?"
Facing this shameless guy, Mrs. Xu rolled her eyes helplessly, then stretched out her fingers and said angrily: "So what if I want to run against you? Let me ask you, have you married another concubine?"
Li Yuan quickly bowed his hands and said, "Yes."
"I almost ruined my eldest sister's reputation by proposing to take concubines before I was married." Mrs. Xu began to scold angrily: "I heard that you married a Dongxi barbarian again this time, right? Okay, let's get married. In less than a year, you have two concubines, and you are only twenty-one! Calculating this, how many more will you marry in the future? You, the governor, are happy and happy, and you will not refuse anyone who comes.
I really can’t believe that you want to taste the taste of a barbarian girl with green face and fangs. Will you also get a Khitan girl to taste it in the future? Do you want me to give you one this time? The man in my family is very familiar with those Khitan merchants! I really don’t know what you are thinking. How can that uncultured and rude barbaric girl be half as good-looking as a big sister? It’s really weird...”
The chatter in his ears was like a chanting mantra. Li Yuan felt helpless but had to admit that this was the bitter fruit he should bear. After all, Mrs. Xu was right. He had married two new people in less than a year after getting married. It was true. After that, I thought about it for a while, then I pretended to be melancholy and sighed heavily: "Oh! This is why my mother-in-law turned out to be the reason! My son-in-law is really helpless and helpless!"
Mrs. Xu stopped mumbling and asked doubtfully: "You are the one taking concubines, how can you be so helpless? Is it possible that someone else is forcing you to do so?"
Li Yuan shook his head and sighed: "Mother-in-law, do you know the identity of that barbarian girl? She is the sister of Lord Peng Guogong, the lord of Dongxi! As the governor of Langzhou, I have just pacified Dongxi and included it The territory of the country, but the centuries-old barbaric disorder can be completely solved by force alone? For this reason, even if I refuse to take a concubine, I have to sacrifice myself...
Well, His Majesty is also aware of this matter, and Emperor E also understands it in her heart. But you are right, mother-in-law. After all, I did something wrong in this matter and did not consider Emperor E’s feelings. If it doesn’t work, I will go to see His Majesty tomorrow and ask him to do it for me—”
"Farewell." Mrs. Xu swallowed. Although she married Zhou Zong and had been staying in the mansion for decades, her husband was a veteran of the country. She had been exposed to it for a long time and she knew the appropriateness of military and state affairs. At this time, she was inexplicable. He looked at Li Yuan who looked aggrieved in front of him, and suddenly the scene of Li Yuan being bullied by a green-faced and fanged barbarian woman suddenly appeared in his mind, and he actually felt a trace of sympathy.
"Well, maybe I really misunderstood you." Mrs. Xu said with a slight blush, feeling slightly annoyed at her own recklessness. After all, she had preconceived ideas without understanding the cause of the matter, but no matter what, she still did not regret defending her beloved daughter. Strive.
"It's okay, mother-in-law, I know you feel sorry for Ehuang." Li Yuan could clearly feel the air softening from anxiety, and immediately smiled bitterly: "Mom-in-law, please rest assured, I will never let down Ehuang's affection for me in this life. She will always She is the head wife of my house, and no one can replace her."
Mrs. Xu softly said "hmm" and her expression gradually became normal, which meant that the torture of Li Yuan had come to an end.
Mrs. Xu stood up gently, with an aura of wealth and honor in every move she made. The maids on the side were also relieved and hurriedly served the breakfast they had prepared for a long time. Li Yuan quietly watched Mrs. Xu eat some elegantly. After eating a few pieces of rice porridge, he wiped his mouth and walked to Li Yuan to sit down. He stretched out his hand to tidy up his clothes.
The folds of my body seemed much happier.
