main hall.
Gao Chen looked at the Zhao brothers: "The two young masters took the trouble to come to our Lingxi County. Why?"
Zhao Yiyang clasped his fists and said: "Seventh brother has not returned home for a long time. Grandma is very concerned about him and ordered me and my brother to search for him. See the person alive and the body after death. There is a portrait of my younger brother here. If the prefect can help search for it, I would be grateful."
The subordinate presented the portrait.
Zhao Yiyang took it and came forward respectfully. Gao Chen picked up the portrait and unfolded it, then put it away after one glance.
"I have never seen this person since the founding of our country." He put the portrait on the table without paying attention to it. "It is impossible for a living person to disappear without a trace. It is nothing more than an accident on the road, or you are looking for a mistake. place."
Seeing that Gao Chen didn't care about the matter, Zhao Yilan knew that he couldn't ask anything.
Zhao Yiyang smiled: "I have to look for it."
"You two gentlemen are determined, and I am not an unreasonable person." Gao Chen said generously, "You are allowed to move around as you please."
The brothers surrendered.
Zhao Yiyang advanced and retreated in a measured manner: "Thank you, Lord Prefect. We are grateful and will follow the rules."
"Very good, very good." Gao Chen laughed, "I still have official duties, so it is not appropriate to stay for a long time. Please entertain the guests well."
"Yes." The master and his wife saluted.
Gao Chen nodded with satisfaction and led the people away. Congratulations, sir and madam. Then he called the housekeeper to clean up the guest room.
The two Zhao brothers followed the housekeeper to the backyard and saw Zhu Qinghong and three others at the pavilion.
The butler bowed and retreated.
The brothers walked over. Zhao Yiyang's eyes fell on Su Rui: "Thank you, Miss Su."
There are only three stone benches in the pavilion. Yan Mi couldn't get Zhu Qinghong and Su Rui up unless they were itchy.
Standing up politely, Yan Mi walked away and stood with his back against the pillar. There was only one stool, and neither brother could sit on it, so they could only stand.
Su Rui was eating cakes: "My uncle is the prefect. He promised to help, and there should be news soon. If you really want to thank me, how about we go to the restaurant to have a drink together tomorrow? I heard that a good wine is brewed in the restaurant, suitable for women to drink. I'll morning I want to try it.”
Zhu Qinghong took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the corners of his lips: "I won't go. I'm tired from traveling and traveling, and I feel bad."
"Sister isn't going? What a pity." Su Rui turned to look at Yan Mi with a smile, "Brother Mi is going?"
"Go, of course." Yan Mi immediately stood up straight. Not to mention restaurants, you have to go up to the mountain of knives and down to the sea of fire.
"We are new here, so we are familiar with the environment." Zhao Yilan patted Zhao Yiyang on the shoulder, "Thank you, girl."
Zhao Yiyang nodded reluctantly.
Su Rui smiled so hard that she narrowed her eyes: "Have a good rest today. We'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay." Zhao Yiyang smiled heartily and left with his brother. Zhu Qinghong turned over and took out a plate of grapes, put it on the table and ate one.
Yan Mi's eyes lit up when he saw the grapes.
He sat back immediately and took one pill first.
Sweet, so sweet and delicious!
Su Rui peeled the grapes slowly: "I didn't intend to deceive my feelings. It was his own passion."
"You can see it." Zhu Qinghong's lips raised slightly, "It was love at first sight. As a man, I fall in love with beauty at first sight."
Yan Mi chewed for a moment.
He looked at this and that, trying to shrink his neck to reduce his presence.
"Sister, be careful too." Su Rui threw the peeled grapes into her mouth, "That Zhao Yilan is not a fuel-efficient lamp."
Zhu Qinghong glanced at the place where the brothers left and smiled meaningfully: "We'll see."
People in a city put on a show, real and fake. They want to distinguish, which is easier said than done. She is the chess player.
The next day.
Su Rui got into the carriage with the help of Yan Mi. The Zhao brothers and Yan Mi rode beside the car and set off to the restaurant.
The restaurant is three stories high, with a long lantern hanging in front of the door. The waiter greets customers at the door with a smile on his face.
There were no empty seats in the building and business was very good. The carriage stopped and Yan Mi dismounted to help Su Rui. A group of people entered the restaurant. The waiter greeted them and took them to the second floor.
Just after reaching the second floor, a group of people were preparing to leave.
Yan Mi was the first to salute: "Master Bai, second brother."
Bai Shifeng and Yan Zhen took the lead, followed by several officials. Bai Shifeng smiled: "What a coincidence, I bumped into you."
"Second brother, Mr. Bai." Su Rui briefly introduced, "They are Mr. Zhao. They came to drink with me."
"We still have important things to do. You guys have a good time." Yan Zhen called the waiter, "Their expenses will be charged to my account."
The waiter hurriedly said yes.
Without saying anything more, Yan Zhen and Bai Shifeng led the people downstairs and away. Su Rui breathed a sigh of relief.
She immediately entered the private room: "I was scared to death. I thought the second brother was going to scold us again. I didn't expect that we would treat us."
Entering the private room, Yan Mi ordered food and drinks.
The Zhao brothers sat down. Zhao Yiyang asked curiously: "Are they officials from the DPRK and China?"
"Yes." Su Rui poured tea, "Master Bai Shifeng, the Lord of Luo City, I am the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. The other one is Brother Mi's second brother, and I am the Minister of the Ministry of Works. They came here together, it can be seen that this The wine at home is so good. When it is served, you can taste it."
Zhao Yiyang and Zhao Yilan looked at each other calmly. Su Rui smiled and pretended not to see it.
What actions will they take?
In the building, everyone was drinking happily.
The teahouse opposite the restaurant. Bai Shifeng and Yan Zhen walked into the private room: "Join Your Majesty."
Zhu Qinghong wears a green skirt and has a pear blossom-style bob in her hair. She put down the tea cup: "They will find out your whereabouts."
Bai Shifeng and Yan Zhen listened carefully.
Yingcai ordered tea elegantly.
Gao Chen respectfully reported: "When we arrived at the restaurant, the Zhao brothers visited the blacksmith shop and the cloth shop, but they didn't pay much attention to them. Only the grain shop attracted their attention, and they asked patiently."
Is it really food? Zhu Qinghong smiled and said: "Yan Zhen, you should supervise the construction of the water tanker on the farmland."
"Yes." Yan Zhen replied.
It is true that water trucks are built to better irrigate farmland. It is also true that it attracts the attention of the Zhao brothers. Only when you have chips can you trade. However, the chance encounter was fake and everything was just a plan. Who can see through the traps?
After leaving the restaurant, the Zhao brothers indeed ordered someone to inquire about Bai Shifeng and Yan Zhen's movements.
Learn where the cultivated land is.
Plump grains and vegetables that I have never seen before. It's hard not to be moved by the brothers.
They quietly went to the farmland to check.
Looking from a distance, there are patches of green rice. The ears of rice weighed down my head.
There are also fresh cucumbers, ruddy tomatoes, jade-like cabbages in the vegetable garden... Although there are a few soldiers on duty around, people are not prohibited from approaching.
On the contrary, many people like to stroll over after eating and drinking. Seeing the fruitful results, I feel extremely at ease.
The old man saw Yan Zhen and others busy.
Build waterwheels, irrigate farmland, yield...
The Zhao brothers looked at each other and left quietly.
Food is the foundation of a city.
They went back inside and closed the door. Zhao Yiyang said eagerly: "This city does not mainly produce food."
It does not mainly produce grain, but its output is already considerable. What does the rumored Tianchong City that focuses on agriculture look like?
Zhao Yilan tapped his fingers on the table: "Seventh brother must have appeared nearby. The connection between the perceived images cannot be wrong."
Slowly sitting down, Zhao Yiyang frowned: "The prefect said that he has never seen him. If it is a lie, the seventh brother is in danger. If it is not a lie, it is not optimistic. He was spoiled by his grandmother and became lawless. He learned from slave traders and sold slaves everywhere. Can he? Make some money."
"Who makes the seventh brother look the most like my grandfather?" Zhao Yilan frowned, "Grandma naturally likes him and indulges him."
"Grandma asked us to spread out and search. We clearly sensed that the seventh brother had been here." Zhao Yiyang hammered the table, "Big brother said it was just in case. We all have to search elsewhere first. We have no choice but to come here. Here."
"Seventh brother has been away for more than a year. Whether we find him or not, it is not a good thing for us." Zhao Yilan poured two cups of tea, "I think seventh brother and the people who accompanied him are gone. We want to get away this time. , only offer the important things.”
Holding the tea cup, Zhao Yiyang raised his eyes: "Food. Countless food. Only then can we solve our predicament after we return."
"That's right." Zhao Yilan put down the teacup, "You and I have already seen the governor's attitude. If we directly visit Mr. Bai and Mr. Yan, they may not pay attention. Fourth brother, I understand your intentions. But we have no choice. Miss Su can help us. Become a big deal.”
Zhao Yiyang was silent, and the tea he drank was filled with bitterness lingering on the tip of his tongue.
He held the cup tightly: "I don't want to hurt her."
"There are not many soldiers in the city, and there are no barracks." Zhao Yilan's eyes were deep. "The priests who spread their protection may be very strong, but one person cannot defeat a thousand troops. Grandma has been recruiting troops. If she knew there was such a place with sufficient food. What do you think? What will she do?"
"Destroy..." Zhao Yiyang lowered his eyes, as if he saw Su Rui's sad face dissipating.
How can a woman survive after the country is destroyed?
"Of course, the information we got cannot be trusted at all." Zhao Yilan added some tea, "You first make friends with Miss Su and make a deal. After you go back, try to find a way to hold Grandma back so that she will leave the matter of consolidating the Yunhong Dynasty to us. Becoming a vassal is also a way.”
Subject countries...their breadbasket.
Zhao Yiyang raised his eyes: "Third brother, is this the best result we can achieve?"
Zhao Yilan nodded: "You know your grandmother's temperament very well. Slave merchants come one after another, sending more and more people each time. The war is about to start. The Dong family and the Lu family agreed to unite to deal with foreign enemies. The friend who is facing us Frost Country.”
The two brothers are from the Zhao family of Yingling Kingdom. There is no emperor in Yingling Kingdom, and the three major families govern it together.
The Zhao family, the Dong family, and the Lu family are all on equal footing.
Check and balance each other, and dislike each other. For several years, Youshuang Kingdom, which faced Yingling Kingdom, had been eyeing it with eager eyes.
There was a trade between the two countries. You buy my beasts and I buy your specialties.
Cooperate with each other and resist the monsters together.
Later, conflicts broke out and the two countries broke off. Trade contracts were torn up, and wars continued throughout the year.
The two sides became more and more feuding and decided to fight to the end. Either you annex me or I annex you. There is no third way. Some of them are very special.
slave trader.
They do business between the two countries in harmony.
After all, war requires people. Both countries bought slaves and used them as cannon fodder on the battlefield. There were very few casualties among our own people, and they were not painful at all. Slave traders traveled to both sides and handed over appropriate intelligence to stimulate the two countries to continue the war.
Perhaps both parties had already seen the slave traders' intentions. But things have come to this, and they can't stop.
If one side stops, it will only be attacked and annexed by the other side. Even if they insist on it, both sides must support it.
The war cannot be stopped.
