"It is true that soldiers and horses consume a lot of money, but the soldiers you lead are all the emperor's masters, so you don't need to worry about money, right?"
"Mr. Cui doesn't know. I was in Baekje back then, and the only way to connect with the country was by sea, which was often cut off. If I couldn't find a way to raise my own food and wages, how could I still be alive today!" Wang Wenzuo said with a bitter smile, and he added that he was in Baekje. During the Jishi period, he talked about a few things such as how to raise food and wages, allocate land for farming, rebuild ports, reward trade, etc. Cui Bian nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Wang Changshi is indeed worthy of being a descendant of the Langya Wang family. If you go out to guard a large county, you can still do the job with ease if you return to the court and serve as a minister!"
"Don't dare!" Wang Wenzuo could feel that Cui Bian's attitude had changed subtly, becoming closer and more friendly.
It turns out that for a high-ranking disciple like Cui Bian, Wang Wenzuo's promotion route based on military merit is actually not Cui Bian's ideal type. There are two ideal ways out for him: one is to join the central government, participate in secrets, draft edicts, and participate in high-level affairs of the imperial court. Politics; if the former is not available, then go out to take charge of a large county, especially a large county like Yangzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yizhou. At that time, the status of such state and county officials was very high, and the world called it
"Two thousand stones", plus a large part of the court's tax revenue is retained in the state and county, even an honest and self-sufficient state official can get generous returns.
Especially for the high-ranking noble families in the north like Cui and Lu, since the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty, almost all the countries in the north were established by ethnic minorities. Even if they obtain high positions in the central government, they do not have strong military force and are easily encountered in internal fights. It is better to be a state and county magistrate in your hometown than to brutally attack. Firstly, it is easy to make money. Secondly, you can accumulate political capital. Thirdly, there is no risk and it is more beneficial.
Through the conversation with Wang Wenzuo, he found that Wang Wenzuo was not the kind of warrior who only knew how to lead troops in battles but did not know how to manage politics. The way out was much broader, so he was naturally happy.
While the three of them were talking, a servant came from outside to report that wine and food had been prepared. Cui Bian said with a smile: "Today we have a distinguished guest. I have prepared a few glasses of water and wine. Please don't mind the humbleness of our room and drink a few more glasses!" After saying that, he stood up to invite him.
"Don't dare!" Wang Wenzuo stood up quickly and thanked him, —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— isn’t it?
The sun is already somewhat westward, and the sunlight shines through the gaps in the bamboo forest outside the window, casting mottled shadows on the plum blossom curtain.
Whenever the breeze shakes the green bamboo, the broken shadow flows back and forth like a stream. The floor is covered with thick carpets, setting off the brown carved window lattice and sandalwood tables and chairs, making the basic tone of the room very harmonious; and the gorgeous lacquered flower and grass screen, setting off the red charcoal fire in the brazier, adds to the The warmth and serenity of the boudoir; the meaningful cursive calligraphy on the pink wall hint at the hostess's interests and family background; underneath the calligraphy, there is an elegant guqin and two neatly packed thread-bound books ; A gilt copper incense burner with animal heads decorated with animal figures is spitting out wisps of sandalwood smoke, and a thin, faint fragrance floats in the room... This is a small, clean and comfortable boudoir. , although it looks luxurious and rich with a large number of silk brocades and various utensils, it still maintains an elegant atmosphere.
There is no redundant furnishing here, and nothing is indispensable. Every furnishing has been carefully selected, compared repeatedly, and placed in the most appropriate position.
Cui Yunying was lying on a canopy bed with a tasseled brocade curtain, leaning on a soft pillow of white satin and red flowers. She read for a while and gradually felt dizzy.
She put aside the Tao Te Ching in her hand and dozed off. Her maid Hongying stepped on her feet and carefully poked her head out from behind the screen. She found that the mistress was resting, with a troubled look on her face, hesitating whether she should wake her master up to report the news or wait until he woke up.
While hesitating, Cui Yunying turned over and murmured: "Hongying, get a glass of water!"
"Yes!" Hongying happily walked to the Eight Immortals table on the inside of the door. She carefully brewed a cup of tea soup in a grape-patterned teacup and handed it to Cui Hongying. She said with a smile: "Miss, you are finally here. Wake up, do you know who is outside?" Cui Yunying absentmindedly opened the lid of the tea cup, blew the hot air gently to his mouth, and asked: "Who is here? - Governor Liu is here?"
"It's not Liu Cishi, it's Wang Changshi!" Hongying playfully took a shawl and put it on Cui Yunying: "The master is sitting outside with me!"
"Wang Changshi, which Wang Changshi?" Cui Yunying put down the tea cup and showed a confused expression: "Is it someone from Taiyuan?"
"Hey!" Hongying took the tea cup and put it aside, showing a sly smile: "It's not Taiyuan, it's Wang Changshi of Liaodong. Miss, you have forgotten that a few days ago, your fellow clansman who served in the army in Baekje came to visit. Propose marriage, this time the rightful owner is here!"
"Ah!" A surprised expression appeared on the girl's face, which was immediately filled with crimson. She stood up, stamped her feet and said, "How could this happen? You didn't tell me at all!"
"It's so easy to talk about this kind of thing!" Hongying said with a smile: "Of course, the master has to check it first. If he thinks it's appropriate, he will let you take a look at it, and finally talk about those things. If I told you first, but here comes A pock-marked face, three-inch nails, a bald head, etc. How embarrassing is that?"
"You are the only one who would marry someone with a pock-marked face, three-inch nails, and a bald head!" Cui Yunying said angrily.
"Hongying and I are married to the same person. If I marry someone with a pock-marked face, three-inch nails, and a bald head, I'm afraid the lady won't be able to bear it!" When Hongying said this, she smiled and stopped talking, with a constricted look on her face.
It turns out that according to the custom at the time, the maids of wealthy families like her were married to the same person as the young lady.
Cui Yunying also reacted after hearing this: "Xiao Nizi, did you go and take a peek? That's why you are so sure?" Hongying laughed twice but did not speak, obviously acquiescing.
Cui Yunying suddenly became interested. She pulled the maid over and hugged them together: "How old is Wang Changshi?"
"He looks to be in his early thirties, tall, with high cheekbones and a thick beard connected to his temples. He looks very impressive!" Hongying said: "The master seems to be a little shorter in front of him." At this point , she paused for a moment: "I heard from Uncle Xu, the gatekeeper, that there were forty or fifty horses following Wang Changshi. The horse-tying stones in front of the gate were not enough, and a dozen wooden stakes had to be temporarily driven. OK!"
"Then, what are they doing now?"
"When I left, I heard that the master was going to host a banquet for him! It seems that the master is very satisfied with the marriage!" Cui Yunying bit her lip, her face turned red and white, and suddenly said: "I haven't brought the bronze mirror yet. , dress me up!"
"Yes, maybe the master will ask the young lady to go out and meet her later!" Hongying responded and placed the bronze mirror.
Cui Yunying first tilted her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror, looking particularly carefully at the corners of her eyes and mouth.
It wasn't until it was confirmed that these areas were still smooth and smooth without even a trace of wrinkles that she felt relieved. She stretched out two slender fingers and gently rubbed the bright red marks on her face that were pressed by the pillow quilt. While turning his neck, his face is reflected in the mirror at various angles and expressions.
Finally, she seemed to be amused by her charming charm, so she raised her head and said to Hongying, "Well, comb your hair quickly!" Hongyingqi quickly agreed and put on a piece of hair inlaid with mother-of-pearl and agate. He moved the dressing box over and began to undo the hostess's messy bun. He carefully held the long, shiny hair that poured down like a waterfall in his arms, then picked up an ivory comb and combed it.
She was afraid of hurting the hostess, so she combed it gently and slowly. As she combed it, she said with a smile: "My lady's hair is getting more and more beautiful, black, dense, and even. With the comb down , as if it were in the water, it slipped naturally without any effort. When you put it down, it was so bright that you could use it as a mirror!" As she combed her hair, she looked at Cui Yunying's expression in the mirror. The girl's face looked shy, proud, and a little eager, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Hongying moved very quickly, and in just half a meal, she had combed Cui Yunying's hair, picked out a hairpin, made a pony bun, applied makeup, and changed into a light yellow Luo shirt.
As soon as I finished dressing up, I heard someone outside say: "Miss, there is a distinguished guest at Bu Lao Xuan. I invite you to meet him!"
"Ask who the distinguished guest is!" Cui Yunying said in a low voice.
"Who is this distinguished guest?" Hongying asked loudly.
"It's Wang Changshi from the same clan and Liaodong! The master is urging you to hurry up. Miss, hurry up and dress up!" Cui Yunying and Hongying looked at each other, and they both saw the light of excitement in each other's eyes, and said in unison: "Wait outside for a while. When you get ready, come out!" ——————————————Bu Laoxuan is a small hut, only three rooms wide and deep once you enter. It is located in the west courtyard of Cui's house. , separated only by a wall from Cui Bian's residence, where he usually receives his closest guests.
"Please, please!" Cui Bian stretched out his right hand: "The food and wine are poor, please forgive me, Wang Changshi!"
"Where!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Hongdu and I have been in the military these years, so we don't have to pay so much attention to food. This is already very good!"
"That's good!" Cui Bian pointed to the middle-aged woman beside him: "This is the Zhuojing Lu family!" He then introduced to his wife: "This Wang Changshi has repeatedly made extraordinary achievements in Liaodong and destroyed Goguryeo. , he was the one who destroyed Pyongyang City, he is truly a genius of the world!"
"Don't dare!" Wang Wenzuo glanced at Mr. Lu and saw that he was in his early forties, with a medium build and an ordinary appearance. She heard her husband introduce Wang Wenzuo to her, and just smiled at Wang Wenzuo reservedly. He seemed to be more impressive than Cui Bian. bigger.
"Her surname is Lu, she is probably from the Fan Yang Lu family, but I don't know which branch she is from!" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself.
"Young Master Wang!" Mrs. Lu raised her wine glass: "I am an ordinary woman, not that much experienced. I have something to tell you first. In our Bu Lao Xuan, our family members gather together on weekdays, and no outsiders are allowed in. Yes. Since we are all in this Bu Lao Xuan, let’s not say polite words. Does the prince come here to propose marriage to my daughter? "
"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "When I was in Baekje, I heard Hongdu say that the daughter of your house is dignified and elegant, and her home is suitable for you! So now that the war has subsided, I took the liberty to come and return the favor. Please agree!" When Mrs. Lu heard this, she smiled: "That's very good. How old is the prince?"
"I'm just wasting my time, I'm already thirty-six!"
"Already thirty-six?" Mrs. Lu frowned slightly: "It doesn't look like it, at least in her early thirties. Then at your age, you should have been married long ago, right? Are you asking my daughter to renew her marriage? ?" There was a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.
"Uncle and sister-in-law, don't worry!" Cui Hongdu said hurriedly from the side: "My good friend has been fighting in Baekje, so he has been delayed, and he has never been married. You and I are from our own family, how can we let the seventh sister marry a widower? !”
"If that's the case, it's not bad!" After hearing Cui Hongdu's explanation, Mrs. Lu's face became better. She smiled at Wang Wenzuo and said: "Young master, don't blame me. Although my daughter is not my biological child, she is also He has been raised by one hand since he was a child, and he treats his children as if they were his own children. This kind of important life matter really needs to be discussed clearly before talking about it! "
"What did Madam say?" Wang Wenzuo laughed quickly and said, "Although Wang is dull, he still understands this point. But Hongdu just said something wrong. Although I have never married my first wife, I already have a legitimate son. It's not bad to say he is a widower!" Cui Bian's face changed drastically when he heard this. He was about to scold but was stopped by Lu. The woman glanced at Cui Hongdu and said with a smile: "What do you think of this, Mr. Wang?"
"When Wang was on a mission to the Japanese country, he once had an affair with a Japanese girl and gave birth to an heir!"
"What's the harm?" Mrs. Lu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: "Men and women are human beings. If you have been in the army for many years, if you are spotless, if by chance you don't even have an heir, wouldn't it be a great act of unfilial piety? ? Don’t worry, my daughter also understands etiquette. As long as she understands the difference between legitimate concubine and concubine, she will never treat her child poorly!" Cui Hongdu secretly exclaimed when he heard it: Lu's words had several meanings: The first is to admit the legitimacy of Wang Wenzuo having an illegitimate child outside, saying that they will not care about such a thing; secondly, to express their attitude and make a request, my daughter is married to be the main wife, and the children in front of you are all bastards, and they must not offend the future. The interests of the legitimate son, as long as you can do these, the previous ones are not a problem.
"Madam, please listen to the details!" Wang Wenzuo said: "First of all, you don't need to worry about the children I gave birth to before. Except for one son, the rest were given other surnames and had their own territory and retainers. There is no need to worry about the bride. Even the one who inherits my surname also has someone to take care of him. When he grows up, he will have his mother’s family’s property to inherit, so she doesn’t need to worry about it!”
