"What did you say?" Shen Haolin, the Duke of Zhenguo, lowered his head and looked at Shen Cha who was adjusting his brocade robe. He didn't wait for a response for a long time before grabbing her hand and asking, "I'm talking to you!"
"Brother has already understood, so why bother asking again."
"I'm just shocked and want to confirm. Are you sure you're not kidding me? Although our mansion can't be called an iron-walled house, it has been transformed by my father so that ordinary people can't break in. What a master this thief is. You have such skill!"
"Brother, when did you ever see me joking? And when did I tell him that he broke in? The thief was kidnapped by Xiaowu and the others before he climbed up the outer wall. How could he be so good at it? In fact, Uncle Yan discovered during the day He is here. I heard that he came to Pandao in advance, so he had already prepared an ambush." Shen Cha patted Shen Haolin's hand and motioned for him to let go, "I just went to the dungeon to see Xiao Wu and Shi Qi. I asked Shiba and the others the whole night, but the boy didn't say a word, and even after being knocked unconscious several times, he didn't say who ordered him. He seemed to be a tough guy."
"Weird things happen every year, but there are more of them this year!" After Shen Cha put the crown on his head, Shen Haolin walked outside and said as he walked, "After breakfast, you come with me to take a look."
"What's so good about Thief? Doesn't he look the same as other people? Besides, when we were young, we couldn't always see him, so we had to go to the dungeon to see him?" Shen Cha looked at the boys. With a wave of his hand, he asked them to bring over the breakfast they had prepared.
The border is a bitterly cold place. Even in the Duke's Mansion, food and clothing are extremely frugal, and there are no luxuries. Compared with the clans, nobles, and important ministers in Xijing, it is as if it is on earth or in heaven.
According to the words of Song Qiyun, the younger brother of Emperor Song Jue of Great Xia and now the second deputy general of the Houlu Army, life in the Zhenguogong Mansion was too difficult, not to mention the princes and nobles, just the wealthy businessmen in Xijing. They are incomparable, almost the same as the civilians in Xijing. Although it's not to the extent of eating chaffy vegetables every day, it doesn't make any difference to him. If his brother knew about this, he might be very distressed. He would probably have to quarrel with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs every day in court. They forced those people to transport food to Jiapingguan City.
Shen Haolin declined to comment on this. Raising and training troops itself is very costly. It is reasonable for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs to become two iron roosters. What's more, in the past few years, the revenue of the national treasury has not been abundant, and there have been some disasters in various places. He can solve it by himself. There is no need for your Majesty to go and solve everything. Sharing your worries for you is not something you just say, it must be done to be true.
Besides, Shen Haolin didn't feel that his life was not good at all. He just said that the three meals a day were provided by the Zhenguo Palace in full accordance with the military rules, and the chefs in the dining room were also accomplices. They were transferred from the top army. Whenever the brothers in the army ate meat as extra meals, whenever the Zhenguo Duke's mansion also stewed meat. He thought this was pretty good. We were all warriors, protecting the land and settling the border for Daxia. Everyone's life was theirs, so why bother to distinguish between high and low?
It is because the coach always has this idea that Shen Jiajun is so united and united. From the commander to the generals and even to the superiors with positions, they all worked hard. The sergeants were naturally very moved, and they felt from the bottom of their hearts that they had been recognized. In order to repay this sense of recognition, they will try their best when fighting on the battlefield.
The human heart is always the softest place and is the easiest to be hurt. Likewise, it is also the easiest to be moved. As long as you change it with sincerity, the result will naturally not be too bad.
Breakfast at Zhen Guogong Mansion only has a few items every day. The staple food is mostly various vegetarian stuffings or occasionally meaty buns, steamed buns, pancakes, etc., plus a big pot of rice porridge, millet porridge, etc. They grow porridge or rice porridge, and the side dishes that accompany the meal are mostly pickles that have been pickled in advance. It is the winter months in Jiapingguan, so fresh vegetables are not easy to come by, and most of them are vegetables stored in cellars. I can see salted eggs and salted duck eggs once or twice every ten days and a half, which is barely enough to supplement my nutrition. Although there are not many varieties, there is no problem in filling your stomach and coping with the busy and heavy tasks of this morning.
"Thieves are not rare, only those who have the courage to enter our house are rare. Such a capable person probably looks different from others! Forget it, after they ask, I will Go and have a look!" Shen Haolin peeled off a salted duck egg, cut it in half with a knife, put half into his bowl, and put the other half into Shen Cha's porridge. "By now, the news should have spread outside!"
"Meizhu, here are some bowls and chopsticks. You can go down and eat!"
"Yes, General." Mei Zhu quickly placed a new set of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and then ran away with a group of servants. The atmosphere in the dining room was very strange and subtle. It would be better for her to stay there less.
"Are you sure he will come here so early?" Shen Haolin picked up a bun, looked outside, took a bite, and said, "He is not on duty today and will not get up so early. I heard that Qiao Zi yesterday He Tianyun went to have a drink with him, and the three of them finally got together, so they probably drank too much. If they don't sleep until noon, I'm afraid they won't be able to wake up from the wine."
Shen Cha just ate steamed buns and drank porridge, without even giving Shen Haolin a lazy look. She can guarantee that even if that person is not on duty, if he hears such an interesting thing, he will immediately get up from the bed and run to the Zhenguo Palace to find out what is going on. Why are you drunk? Shen Cha snorted in her heart. She had never seen that person drunk in her whole life. Her brother always thought that that person was too drunk. As a result, he got drunk every time. .
"How's it going over there in Liao?" Shen Haolin saw that Shen Cha didn't answer his words and immediately changed the subject, "What's the new news?"
"Everything is under control, brother, don't worry, if nothing unexpected happens, good news will come after the New Year."
"It has been chaotic for so long. It's time to settle down. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get back the lost people's hearts. Speaking of which, Uncle Wang from Liao is not only a good hand in leading troops and fighting, but he is also good at fighting in the court. Exit. I originally thought he would proclaim himself king after the death of the previous King of Liao, but I didn’t expect that he would strongly support his nephew to succeed him as King of Liao and would be willing to stay behind the scenes."
"I don't agree with my brother's statement. Yelvertu is not a kind person. His desire and expectation for the throne can be seen by all discerning people. There are also many people in Liao who support him in becoming king. If he really becomes the king, Liao will still be uneasy for a few years and the civil strife will continue. But now that he has put a little puppet in front of him, the situation is different. Supporting the little puppet... Oh, no, the little king of Liao A group of people, even for the sake of King Xiao Liao, would not do anything to Yelvertu."
"It's just that they are respectful on the surface, but the scope of operation behind the scenes is still large. What's more, whether it's Liao or Jin, the hearts of each tribe are not very unified. Except when they treat me, Daxia, they have the same interests and may be united. Externally, the rest of the time they are in chaos. It is simply too easy to get them into chaos."
"There is only one throne, but there are many pairs of eyes staring at it. Chaos is natural. Xiao Min said that even if the succession ceremony of King Xiao Liao is over, it will still take some time to restore order in the country. At least. In the summer of next year, Liao will not take the initiative to invade. However, by that time, all the people we have arranged will be in place. "
"Tell Xiaomin that after you've been busy for a while, you'll be quiet and don't move rashly."
"Yes." Shen Cha put down his chopsticks, sighed softly, and said, "Brother, Xiaomin's letter also said something else. He... saw a couple in Linhuang Mansion, and sent someone to follow them. God, I found that this couple had started a small business in Linhuang Mansion, and their life was quite comfortable. However, their hobbies have not changed, and I don’t know how long it will take to ruin the family business. "
"..." Shen Haolin looked at Shen Cha, not knowing what to say.
The entire Jiaping Pass and even Daxia knew that the Duke of Old Town had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Shen Haolin, inherited the title of Duke of Zhen. The eldest daughter, Shen Cha, and the second son, Shen Jiu, served in the army. A general with a large number of troops and outstanding military exploits. But only a few people know that Shen Cha and Shen Jiu are not the biological children of the Duke of Laozhen, but are the children adopted or picked up by the Duke of Laozhen and his wife.
Shen Haolin still remembers what happened that day, even though most of his childhood memories have been lost.
It was the second month after Zhen Guogong and his family arrived in Jiapingguan City. It was snowing all over the sky that day and the weather was extremely cold. The family of three came back from outside the city and overheard a child's cry from behind a haystack at the city gate. After hearing the sound of crying, they went to the back of the haystack to investigate, only to find that there were two children, a boy and a girl, both young. That was the first and only time Shen Haolin saw Shen Cha cry.
"I remember that time, you were only a little over two years old, skinny and covered with bruises. Even so, you were still protecting Xiaojiu, who had just turned one year old. The two of you were hiding behind the haystacks, looking helpless. He looks so helpless, which makes people feel distressed. Such a small person, his eyes and nose are red from crying, just like a little rabbit." Shen Haolin sighed softly , "Do you know what I was thinking at that time?" Shen Haolin looked at Shen Cha, "I was thinking that when I grow up and find those two people, I must catch them and throw them to the grassland to feed the wolves!"
"Brother, why should you dirty your hands for that kind of person? It's not worth it. I'm looking for them for no other reason than to ask them one thing. Since you don't want children, why did you give birth to us? And it's not enough to give birth to just one. , I have to give birth to Jiu'er and suffer the same crime. In addition, I also want to know, since I know very well that my family's livelihood is difficult, why do I still go to gambling houses frequently? As long as they get these two answers, what do they think about it? As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to worry about."
"But Xiaomin is sure it's them?"
"Confirmed that it's them." Shen Cha picked up the chopsticks again, "Xiao Min said that they didn't change their names. Maybe they felt that they were far away from their homeland. No one could recognize them, and no one knew what they had done before."
"Two foreigners are living happily in Linhuang Mansion?" Shen Haolin touched Shen Cha's head and comforted, "Don't worry, we finally found these two scum, so naturally we won't let them go easily. Let them go. Although I won't really throw them into the grassland to feed the wolves, I can't make them so comfortable. Putting it this way, I find it quite strange. When has the country of Liao been able to stand firm so easily? Heel? Xiaomin spent a lot of effort to get a place there."
"Xiao Min said he would investigate carefully and send back any information he has."
"Okay!" Shen Haolin took another bun, "What are your plans? Do you want to take a look?"
"Brother, are you kidding me? You will be recognized as soon as I enter the border with my face, right?" Shen Cha served another bowl of porridge to Shen Haolin, "If you say that I am visiting relatives, even if I am from Liao Stupid, you probably won’t believe what I say. I think we should find an opportunity to get the two of them back, or let the Liao people send them back to us in person."
"You already have a plan?"
"Not yet, just talking casually. I'd better leave it to my brother to use my brain to calculate other people's affairs. My plans usually have many loopholes. I know this very well. If something goes wrong by then, I'm afraid there will be It ruined my brother’s plan.”
"Those words of yours should be heard by those outside. Who said we can't talk over tea? This is so true! Anyway, after searching for so many years, I finally found it." Shen Hao Lin took a sip of porridge, took a bite of side dishes, and said slowly, "Since we are in Linhuang Mansion, it saves us a lot of trouble. When you reply to Xiaomin, tell him, don't move, leave someone alone Just keep your eyes on it."
"Brother, you want to use them to make a game?"
"It's not a game, it can be related to our plan. I still need to think about what to do." Shen Haolin put down the chopsticks in his hand and looked at Shen Cha with a smile, "In this way, not only can After completing my chess game, I can also vent my anger on you and Xiaojiu, isn’t it good?”
"Brother, this is not kind!" Shen Cha wiped his mouth with the hand towel next to him, "It's just a way of venting anger on me and Jiu'er, but brother still wants me to accept this."
"Isn't this something that can't be helped? Nowadays, it's not easy to make General Shen owe you a favor!"
"Since brother said so, I will accept his kindness. But..." Shen Cha looked at the door and raised an eyebrow at Shen Haolin, "When the time comes, brother should not trick me."
"You two evil brothers and sisters are thinking about who you want to trick again!"
