At noon, several people in the court sat quietly.
"It's already noon, why don't we go have a meal first and discuss this matter while eating. What do you adults think?" Zhou Ruoxiao suggested.
"It is urgent to increase the number of troops in each state. As for eating, I don't think Prime Minister Wang is hungry yet." Liu Jingxing said slowly, with a hint of anger in his tone.
"Xiao Zhou, don't be in a hurry to eat first. Let's wait until we have settled the matter of increasing the number of troops before we talk about anything else." Liang Chuang said, "Prime Minister Wang, what do you think?"
"I have no objection. As people get older, their appetites decrease." Wang Daofan said with a smile.
Li Muzhi joked, "That's good. If we starve you, there will be chaos in Chang'an."
"Haha, that's not the case. After all, there are still hundreds of civil and military officials in the court, so there can't be chaos." Wang Daofan paused, and then said, "The restrictions on soldiers and horses in Jiuzhou were stipulated by the emperor when he first founded the country. The world is peaceful. No, there is no need for so many soldiers and horses. The 30,000 soldiers and horses left by the state herdsmen in each state are enough."
"Isn't this just in case?" Li Muzhi said, "In case there are any rebellious officials and traitors who take advantage of the fact that the emperor has just passed away and intend to plot rebellion, we can stop it in time."
"There are still 300,000 troops outside Chang'an City, which is enough to suppress the rebellion of any rebellious officials and traitors." Wang Daofan said with a smile.
"Isn't it true that the Prime Minister just wants a reason to increase the number of troops?" Liu Jingxing said.
"But you guys can't give me this reason." Wang Daofan said with a smile.
"Then if I say that the increase in troops is for the Emperor, do you think it's okay?" Liu Jingxing looked at Wang Daofan and said slowly.
Liang Chuang and Li Muzhi both looked at Wang Daofan, while Zhou Ruoxiao looked down at the tea in his hand with an expressionless expression.
Wang Daofan was startled, then asked, "Isn't the Emperor already dead?"
"But there will still be an emperor." Liu Jingxing said with a smile, "If the Prime Minister doesn't want the Emperor, we can do it for the Prime Minister."
Wang Daofan took a sip of tea and said nothing for a long time.
"With this person gone, it doesn't matter whether the tea is cool or not." Liu Jingxing said, "In the end, people have to fulfill their own needs. There is no need to make things difficult for yourself and do meaningless things."
"Is this what you three mean, or what the nine of you mean?" Wang Daofan asked with a long sigh.
"It's the intention of the nine of us." Liu Jingxing said.
Liang Chuang and Li Muzhi on the side also nodded.
"The general trend is the general trend." Wang Daofan said with a smile, "I won't join in the fun of blocking the car, lest I be crushed to death."
"Then let's thank the Prime Minister here for your support." Liu Jingxing picked up the tea cup and said, "Let's use tea instead of wine to express our feelings."
Liang Chuang and Li Muzhi also picked up their teacups and drank them all in one gulp. Zhou Ruoxiao still didn't say a word, just looked at the tea cup silently. The others also pretended not to pay attention to him at this time. Sometimes silence can express their inner thoughts better than any words.
mourning hall.
Jiang Ruoting and Jiang Fengqing are still kneeling here.
"Ruoting, please go back to your mother's harem for dinner now." Jiang Fengqing said softly.
"Okay." Jiang Ruoting stood up slowly and adjusted his clothes.
"Are the two princes leaving?" Zhang Wenling asked outside the palace gate. Behind them, Wang Daofan and others were looking at them.
Jiang Fengqing and Jiang Ruoting walked out one after another.
"I have met the Prime Minister, all the state shepherds, and Prince Zhou." The two brothers bowed together and saluted.
"Both princes, please express your condolences and take care of yourself." Liu Jingxing said, "The people of Jiang Dynasty still need you."
"Yes, both princes are important weapons to the country." Liang Chuang continued.
"Thank you all for your concern." Jiang Fengqing bowed again.
"Looking like this, you are going to have lunch with your mother, right?" Zhou Ruoxiao asked.
"Yes." Jiang Fengqing replied, "I was just about to go."
"The two princes are indeed the most filial people. Ever since Empress Li heard that the emperor passed away, she has been extremely sad. Being able to have you with her gives her a little more comfort." Liu Jingxing said with emotion, "Okay, then let's I won’t waste your time.”
Looking at the two brothers leaving one after another, Liu Jingxing said, "Prime Minister, do you think the emperor should walk in front of others or behind others?"
"If you walk in front of others, you are vulnerable to unexpected disasters. If you walk behind others, you will lose your status." Li Muzhi, who had been silent, took the words and replied, "In my opinion, it is best to walk in the middle."
Everyone nodded in approval.
Qinxin Palace.
Li Qinxi sat quietly at the table with a small plaster on the finger of her left hand. The table was filled with dishes and three pairs of bowls and chopsticks.
"Your Majesty, the two princes are here." The palace maid led them into the room.
"Mother, I have kept you waiting for a long time." Jiang Fengqing said as she took off the mourning cloth and handed it to the palace maid nearby.
Jiang Ruoting also took off the mourning cloth, then looked at the ointment on Li Qinxi's hand and said, "Why is the queen's hand injured?"
"These maids must be too lazy to be useful." Jiang Fengqing glared at the maids on the side, "Tomorrow I will ask Manager Zhang to select a few hard-working maids to serve the Queen."
The maid on the side quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.
"It's none of their business. I want to cook some dishes for you personally. Unexpectedly, I haven't cooked for a long time, but I got a little injured. It's just a little skin break. It's not a big deal." Li Qinxi advised. He said, "Don't scare them. Let's eat. Try the dishes cooked by the queen to see if they suit your taste."
After the two brothers moved their chopsticks, they both ate happily and praised it profusely. Li Qinxi also added vegetables to their bowls from time to time.
"Mother's craftsmanship is still so good." Jiang Ruoting put down the bowl and chopsticks and praised.
"As long as you like to eat." Li Qinxi smiled and said, "Are you full? If not, I will make you a bowl of noodles."
"No need, Queen Mother, please sit down and rest. We are full." Jiang Fengqing said quickly.
"As long as you're full, by the way, I heard that your uncle Mu Zhi came to the palace today." Li Qinxi asked, "Have you two seen him?"
"We saw him just after we came out of the mourning hall. He entered the palace with Mr. Liu, the governor of Qingzhou, and Mr. Liang, the governor of Liangzhou." Jiang Fengqing said, "But he didn't seem to want to talk to us."
"Don't want to talk to you?" Li Qinxi thought for a moment and said, "Maybe something big is going to happen, and he doesn't want to involve you two."
Jiang Ruoting smiled and said, "Mother may be overly worried. In my opinion, it's probably my uncle who has been traveling all the way and is in a bad mood."
"I hope so. You should go to the mourning hall as soon as possible and continue to kneel down."
"Yes, Queen Mother!" The two brothers picked up their respective mourning cloths, tied them around their heads, and walked out of the door.
Li Qinxi looked at the dishes on the table thoughtfully.
On the top of the city, Wang Daofan and Zhou Ruoxiao stood side by side, watching the figures of Liu Jingxing and others disappearing at the end of the road in the distance.
"They left just as quickly as they came." Zhou Ruoxiao said.
"After all, Chang'an is not their territory. If you get what you want, why not leave?" Wang Daofan said as he walked down the city. "It was such a drama that I didn't even get to eat in the end."
Evening, Dongshi. Yan Mo was patrolling the streets with three of his men.
"General Yan."
Yan Mo stopped his horse and turned around to see a little girl.
One of the men asked, "What's wrong, little girl?"
"Someone asked me to give you this letter." As she said that, Yin Xiaolian stood on tiptoes and handed the letter to her subordinate.
The men carefully opened it and took a look. Inside there was a piece of paper full of words and a token. The token was made of pure gold and had a lifelike swallow carved on it. The subordinate looked at it twice and handed it to Yan Mo, while the other subordinates stared at Yin Xiaolian closely.
Yan Mo picked up the token and took a look at it. His expression froze for a moment, then he picked up the letter and read it again.
"Did that person say anything else?" Yan Mo put away the letter and returned the token to her.
Yin Xiaolian carefully took the token, put it away in her arms, and said, "The man also said, 'You must do what you promised.'"
"Okay, I understand." Yan Mo turned the horse's head and left thoughtfully. Several of his subordinates saw this and followed Yan Mo.
Yin Xiaolian turned around and walked into a small alley, twisting and turning along the deep alley. Sometimes she passed by the door of other people's homes, and sometimes she opened the door and walked directly through other people's homes. These people didn't even look at her, as if she was used to it. This is the home of the lower class people in Chang'an. Unlike the bright and beautiful appearance on the surface, it is still muddy at the bottom.
Finally, Yin Xiaolian stopped in front of a small wooden door.
She knocked lightly on the door, and after a while, the door slowly opened, and two women in gorgeous dresses and red lanterns greeted her inside.
The wooden door closed again, and silence returned here.
Feng Lai Lou. In the attic, Yun Xiang and Yun Yao were sitting opposite each other, enjoying tea.
"Madam, we are already here." A maid said softly at the door.
"You came at the right time. Take her to clean up her life. She is the Jiao'er tonight." Yun Xiang said with a smile, "I wonder if sister Yunyao will be angry because she was robbed of Jiao'er's position?"
"Sister, whenever I do, I just do things for you. All you have to do is follow your instructions. I don't have any other thoughts." Yun Yao covered her mouth and said with a chuckle.
"But I'm enjoying a blessing tonight. After listening to my sister's sweet songs for so long, I really want to listen to my sister's dirty songs." Yun Xiang said charmingly, squinting her phoenix eyes.
"Then don't let me down tonight, sister. I also want to see if my sister's dancing style is still as good as before." Yun Yao picked up the teacup in her hand and chuckled.
The sun was setting, but it was getting dark.
Qin Tianjian.
In the empty palace, except for a large hole in the middle of the top of the palace, there was no other candlelight for viewing the celestial phenomena. So much so that it was difficult to identify what the black shadow was directly below the big hole.
"There are no stars to see tonight." Zhang Wenling walked in from the door.
"The stars are always in the sky. Whether you can see them or not depends on your ability." The black shadow said slowly.
"Master Yu's wonderful words are always so unfathomable." Zhang Wenling came to Yu Jiayan and said.
"If you have anything to say, just tell me. The Emperor will not leave me alone after his death." Yu Jiayan said coldly.
"I heard that Yan Mo took all 30,000 Yan Guards to the imperial mausoleum. I want to find Master Yu to find out who ordered this." Zhang Wenling said slowly.
"Yan Mo and the Yan Guards only recognize the Feiyan Order, and the Feiyan Order has always been in the hands of the emperor. The imperial power is supreme, and there is nothing I can do." Yu Jiayan sighed, "I can only tell the manager, the Yan Guards are It's a fierce tiger, and the tiger enters the imperial mausoleum and kills it. It's better not to move around too much recently."
"Thank you for your advice, sir." Zhang Wenling bowed and left.
Yu Jiayan looked up at the sky, but it was completely dark.
In the palace. Jiang Fengqing and Jiang Ruoting had just come out of the mourning hall.
"Ruoting, why don't you come to my house tonight and have a meal together? It's been a long time since you tasted Uncle Li's cooking." Jiang Fengqing looked at Jiang Ruoting with a smile.
Jiang Ruoting nodded and said, "Okay, I haven't seen Uncle Li for a long time. I'll buy a bottle of wine to visit him later."
The two of them left the palace and came to the West Market. There were not many people on the street.
"Now that my father is mourning, Chang'an has been deserted for a few days." Jiang Fengqing said.
"After my father is buried, Chang'an will become lively again." Jiang Ruoting said, "There is a wine shop in front of you. I will buy wine first. Brother Huang, please wait here for a while."
Jiang Fengqing nodded and watched Jiang Ruoting walk into the wine shop, then turned to look at An Zicheng behind him, "General An, how are you doing in the Red Dragon Army these days?"
An Zicheng is his deputy general, cooperating with him in charge of the Red Dragon Army, and is also responsible for protecting his safety.
"Back to the eldest prince, the Red Dragon Army is stationed in Xishan, twenty miles outside Chang'an City. There is nothing unusual in the army so far."
"That's good. I heard that the Yan Guards withdrew from the city and went to guard the imperial mausoleum."
"The general has also heard about it, but he doesn't know the specific situation. Yan Mo just said that he was following orders."
"I don't know whose order I am taking." Jiang Fengqing murmured.
"Why hasn't the Second Prince come out after buying wine for so long?" An Zicheng asked doubtfully.
Jiang Fengqing was also hesitant. Jiang Ruoting did not bring his own bodyguard to follow him. There had been no movement for a long time. He was afraid that something had happened. However, he only had An Zicheng, a sixth-grade deputy general, with him. He was wondering whether he should enter or not.
"Changes will happen later. You go in first to see the situation. If there is danger, exit as soon as possible!" Jiang Fengqing said decisively.
An Zicheng also put one hand on the sword at his waist, opened the shabby door curtain, and walked inside.
After half a cup of tea, there was still no movement in the wine shop. With a gust of wind, a piece of paper floated out from the door curtain and floated towards Jiang Fengqing.
Jiang Fengqing reached out to grab it and opened it to take a look. The note said: I want to save the two of them, but now I am going to Feng Lai Tower alone.
Jiang Fengqing took another look at the small wine shop. The candlelight overflowed from under the door curtain and swayed. He just felt the urge to lift the curtain and walk in now. What would he do after entering? Even the sixth-grade An Zicheng didn't come out silently. What can he, a fourth-grade guy, do? Now go back and bring in reinforcements? But the other party dared to capture the second prince in Chang'an, and his strength was still unfathomable. What could he do if he called people? He might even anger the other party and kill them both directly.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Fengqing finally walked towards Feng Lai Tower not far away. At this time, only the second floor of Fenglai Building was still lit, and the rest was completely dark.
Jiang Fengqing came to the downstairs of Feng Lai Building. The sound of the piano came from nowhere. Behind him was a tavern. Several tables of drinkers in the tavern were listening to a thin old man's story about "The Prime Ministers of Chu and Han". "The House of Flying Daggers" section. The drinkers at several tables listened with great interest. A girl of about seven or eight years old was holding a small cloth bag and asking for rewards.
"You guys think it's a good idea, so I'll give you two rewards."
The girl's smile grew brighter as she listened to the sound of coins falling into her pocket.
Jiang Fengqing looked back at her smile and smiled unconsciously. Pushing open the ajar door, he walked into Feng Lai Tower.
Walk out of the palace and walk along the streets of the West Market towards the West Gate. Turn right at the first fork in the road and go straight to the end. There is a small manor here. The peeling paint of the gate looks very old, and there is a circle of grass growing on the edge of the short fence. If someone hadn't told you, you would never have guessed that this was the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Wang Daofan sat on the stone bench in the yard and sipped tea with Zhou Ruoxiao.
"The moon tonight is a bit dim." Wang Daofan said.
Zhou Ruoxiao raised his head and glanced at the sky, but it was so dark that he couldn't see anything.
"It's just that my ethics are low." Zhou Ruoxiao said with a smile.
"Your Majesty is also from the military, what do you know about this obscene music and dance?" Wang Daofan asked as he took a sip of tea.
"Lewd music and dancing? It depends on how high one is." Zhou Ruoxiao said with a smile, "Like tonight, I am not blessed to endure it."
"Oh, that's a pity, tonight is prepared for the eldest prince." Wang Daofan and Zhou Ruoxiao looked at each other and smiled.
In the First Prince's Mansion, Li An put the twice-heated food into the pot again, walked around the door again, and looked at the street.
"The eldest prince probably has something to do tonight and won't be able to come back." Li An muttered, but he just closed the door and did not pull the bolt. That night, the lights in Li An's house were on all night. The lights in Fenglai Tower went out at some point.
