"Yes, yes!" Cui Yunying was infected by Wang Wenzuo's ease. She nodded: "Husband, please come back early!" She immediately reacted after saying the words and said with a smile: "There are also Jushengnu (honey-made dumplings). , Guifeihong (red puff pastry), Han Gongqi (boiled printed round noodles), longevity porridge (therapeutic food), Tianxue (candied noodles), single-cage golden milk pastry (steamed pastries), Tonghua soft beef Intestine (cooked in mutton oil), Guangming Shrimp Zhi (roasted live shrimp), Bailong Yao (made from repeatedly beaten tenderloin), Snow Baby (frog with bean sprouts attached), Xianrenzi (chicken stewed in milk), Xiaotian Crispy (fried deer and chicken), Choitou Chun (roasted quail), Guo Menxiang (fried with various kinds of meat), right? I went to prepare it immediately, waiting for my husband to come back!"
Speaking of this, the couple couldn't help but smile knowingly. It turned out that the dishes Cui Yunying just mentioned were the menus for the Shaobi Banquet at the home of Wei Juyuan, a famous family at that time. This person was the great-great-grandson of Wei Xiaokuan, the Great Sikong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He was the capital of the imperial families of the Sui and Tang dynasties. He has a close relationship with him and has a far-reaching family background. He is one of the most wealthy families in Chang'an City. The so-called "burning tail banquet" was a custom at that time. After a court official was promoted, he had to hold a banquet to celebrate and offer tribute to the emperor. Folklore called it "burning tail banquet", which means "the dragon burns its tail, rising straight up to the blue clouds". ". This meaning comes from the legend of "Fish Leaping over the Dragon Gate". Longmen is located between today's Hancheng County in Shaanxi Province and Hejin County in Shanxi Province. It looks like a gate. It is said that it was built by Xia Yu when he was controlling floods. Every spring, carp in the Yellow River swim upstream and try to swim through Longmen. However, the water in Longmen is strong and the fish are repeatedly knocked down. When the carp still cannot cross the dragon's gate after many times of reverse swimming, it will swim forward instead of jumping, facing the stormy waves, breaking through the waves, and leaping to the dragon's gate. At this time, the carp will be struck by thunder and lightning, its tail will be burned off, and it will turn into a real dragon. Wang Wenzuo had previously said that he wanted to eat roasted lamb tails, and his wife knew how to match the menu of Wei Juyuan's roasted lamb tail banquet, which was a perfect match.
Wang Wenzuo said goodbye to his wife, went out, mounted his horse, and came all the way to the palace. He dismounted and entered the palace from the Yanxi Gate. When he came to the Taiji Palace, he waited for a while and was greeted by a chamberlain: "Mr. Sir, please come with your servant. Your Majesty." Waiting in the side hall!"
"Thank you!" Wang Wenzuo smiled. He followed the chamberlain and walked through a long and narrow corridor. The surrounding towering palaces gave people a sense of oppression under the gloomy sky, and finally came to the northeast of the palace city. The corner hall is only half an acre square.
"The emperor and the empress will still take care of themselves! These large halls in the palace, which are often hundreds of square meters, are simply miserable in winter. Unless they go to court, fools would stay there!" Wang Wenzuo walked into the small hall, and a warmth immediately hit his face. Come. For the sake of etiquette and the need to subdue all nations, the palaces of ancient Chinese dynasties were generally located high in the city, and high earth platforms were usually built first, and then houses were built on the earth platforms. And these palaces are very large in area, with very high ceilings, often hundreds of square meters, with indoor heights of six or seven meters. The thermal insulation and wind isolation technology of ancient buildings was very poor. Unlike today, there are insulation layers, sealed doors and windows, even if a brazier is placed. The effect is also very average. The result is that when the twelfth lunar month comes, it is normal for the room temperature in such a high-door hall to suddenly drop to minus four or five degrees. The emperor and his courtiers could not wear too thick clothes due to etiquette. The taste was simply sour.
"Wang Qing's body is flat!" The queen pointed to a brocade pier at the bottom: "Sit down and talk, and bring Wang Qing a bowl of buttermilk!"
"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly bowed to the emperor and the queen. A palace maid held a peony-petal silver tray made in the inner shop with a gold plate filled with buttermilk. A silver engraved tureen and a silver spoon walked gently into the Nuan Pavilion. Another palace maid took off the tureen and silver spoon from the tray, placed them in front of Wang Wenzuo, and casually opened the lid. Wang Wenzuo carefully picked up the silver spoon and took two sips of the buttermilk.
"Wang Qing!" The Queen said with a smile after Wang Wenzuo finished eating the buttermilk: "A few days ago, someone in the court impeached the matter of blended twine in the Shu Brocade, saying that it caused the rebellion of the Hebei garrison, and said that a thorough investigation would be carried out. Your Majesty has already suppressed it. I can’t tell you anymore. From what I’ve seen, the admonishers in the outer dynasty have gone too far. Wang Qing lost a younger brother because of this. Isn’t this enough? How else can we investigate?”
Wang Wenzuo looked at his nose with his eyes, his nose at his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Reporting to Her Majesty the Queen, that younger brother here is ignorant and was deceived by the servants, causing such a disaster. Later, when I found out, I gave him a few words of reprimand. , I was filled with regret, and an old illness broke out, and I passed away within two days. I also committed the crime of lax supervision, and I ask your Majesty to punish me!"
"Wang Qing!" Li Zhi finally spoke: "The Queen has just said that this matter ends here, you don't have to apologize! Next, the court will still be of great use to you, do you understand!"
"I thank you for your kindness. I wonder what your Majesty has to do!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly bowed his head. The emperor and the queen sang the double act perfectly. They first used the impeachment of foreign admonishers to beat Wang Wenzuo, and then showed their kindness with consideration. Finally, Li Zhi opened his mouth to confirm. This husband and wife duo are really born to be top political players. They have killed countless heroes in their decades of rule.
"Yes!" Seeing Wang Wenzuo's attitude, Li Zhi nodded with satisfaction: "I was born in the second year of Zhenguan. I am already forty-eight this year. The late emperor died in the year of his death just after his fiftieth year! I have such a fragile body. Not as good as the late emperor. It seems that following the late emperor underground has only been a matter of two or three years! Therefore, in the past two years, I have handed over many government affairs to the prince. Your dispatch has also told the prince that you will Just go to the East Palace and ask the prince!"
"Why did your Majesty say such ominous words! According to your Majesty, your Majesty is in the prime of spring and Autumn. Although he is slightly ill, he can recover with a little care!" Wang Wenzuo quickly comforted him. Father and son love and kill each other, but it is the Li family of the Tang Dynasty. He didn't want to be involved in the repertoire. Li Zhi might not have the heart to kill the prince, but he wouldn't even blink when he killed a foreign minister like himself.
Li Zhi looked at Wang Wenzuo's face, as if to judge whether the other party was telling the truth. Wang Wenzuo suppressed the fear in his heart and tried his best to look sincere and frightened. After a few minutes, Li Zhi laughed: "Then let Wang Aiqing borrow the money." Good luck!"
"You should have passed the test, right?" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself, but his face still looked like that. Li Zhi laughed a few times and suddenly coughed twice. Just as the queen on the side was about to call the doctor, Li Zhi waved his hand: "No need to look at it, it's still the same old problem. Just lie down and rest for a while. Ah Wu, just talk to Wang Aiqing about this matter." Tell me!" After that, he went to the Nuan Pavilion on the inside with the support of the two palace maids.
"Finally, one of them is gone!" Wang Wenzuo breathed a sigh of relief. Facing this couple at the same time was really unbearable.
"Come here, open the window half way!" Mrs. Wu smiled at Wang Wenzuo: "Although this room is warm, it is also very stuffy. Why not open half the window to get some fresh air!"
"Your Majesty is right!" Wang Wenzuo lowered his head and wondered what the queen meant. Could it be that it was inconvenient for Li Zhi to open the window here? Isn't this inappropriate? Thinking of this, Wang Wenzuo did not dare to continue thinking.
At this time, the sun came out, and a group of pigeons were released from the southwest corner of Taiji Palace. With whistles, they circled over the palace city for a while, heading towards the direction of the dragon's head. The sun shines on the white jade railings, bronze cranes and po-gold bronze tripod outside Tai Chi Palace. A palace maid hung a parrot cage on a sunny pine branch and pulled up the green satin cage around it. The parrot stretched its feathers in the sun and suddenly cried out: "Long time to be happy, long time to be happy!"
"Chang Le Wei Young!" The queen laughed: "It's almost time for afternoon snacks, right?"
"Exactly!" The palace maid on the side responded: "Do you want the slaves to pass on the food?"
"Yes!" Mrs. Wu nodded: "But not here, but on the terrace at the back. Pull up the purple barrier and put out the brazier!"
"According to the order!"
The queen's order was immediately implemented. Dozens of eunuchs and maids quickly set up seats and dishes under the pine trees on the terrace behind the palace. In order to avoid the winter wind, purple brocade barriers were pulled up around them, and six or seven other There is a fire pit, which actually feels like spring in this cold winter day.
"Wang Aiqing, let's go to the terrace and eat while we talk!"
"I obey the decree!"
Although they were eating together, in fact, they each had a table and a few dishes. There were four or five meters apart, and the maids served dishes like water. The queen nodded, and the maids brought one to Wang Wenzuo. Although the dishes were indeed very exquisite, Wang Wenzuo really had no appetite, so he ate like this for a while. The Queen suddenly said: "Your Majesty is sending you back to Chang'an this time because he hopes you will assist the prince in rectifying the soldiers in Guanzhong and change their weak situation... …”
Just after Wang Wenzuo finished listening to the first two sentences of the Queen's words, his ears buzzed and he could no longer hear what was said after that. Assist the prince in organizing the troops in Guanzhong? Doesn't this couple want to change the prince? Otherwise, why would the prince of a country be allowed to do such a deceptive thing?
"Wang Qing? Wang Qing? Wang Sanlang?" After talking for a while, the queen suddenly found that Wang Wenzuo's state was a little wrong, and he seemed to be a little distracted, so she called Wang Wenzuo's name. After calling Wang Wenzuo several times, Wang Wenzuo reacted and hurriedly bowed down to apologize: "It is a crime for a minor minister to die. Just now he was distracted and thinking about other things. Please punish him!"
"It's okay!" The Queen was particularly tolerant at this time: "What was Aiqing thinking about just now?"
"It's just a matter of rectifying the army of the government!" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile: "I don't want to hide it from your majesty. When I heard about this matter, I felt that I was unable to do it. Guanzhong was the foundation of the four dynasties of the Western Wei, Zhou, Sui and our dynasties. We are all ministers from the bottom of our hearts, bound by brotherly kindness and righteousness. As the saying goes, we can't be close without being distant, but it is really beyond the power of my ministers!"
"If it were just you, you wouldn't be able to do it!" The queen said with a smile: "Isn't there a prince? Now the prince has the responsibility of supervising the country. Everything is reported to the East Palace first and then sent to the emperor. With the prince supporting you, you What else are you worried about?
"You two are such a pair of scorpion-hearted couples!" Wang Wenzuo cursed secretly in his heart: "When others set up a heir apparent, they always ask him to do simple and easy-to-succeed things, quickly build a family of meritorious deeds and prestige, and prepare for succession. It would be better for you, If you don’t dare to do it yourself, let your son step on the minefields that are difficult to do. Those who know it are your parents, but those who don’t know it think they are enemies!"
"What's wrong?" Seeing that Wang Wenzuo didn't speak, the queen asked, "Why doesn't Wang Aiqing speak? Are you unwilling to serve the prince?"
After hearing what the queen said, Wang Wenzuo knew that he had to take a stand. Otherwise, the whole world would know that His Highness the Crown Prince was very kind to Wang Wenzuo, and if he dared to take the blame and retreat at the critical moment of receiving such a great favor, then he would be only one step away from the coffin.
"The prince's kindness to Wen Zuo has been unparalleled, and it is difficult to repay it with his own life!" Wang Wenzuo said: "It's just that I am just a warrior. If I am arranging troops and leading an attack, I will definitely be the prince's vanguard, doing the work of dogs and horses." I have never done anything to rectify the troops in Guanzhong. I'm afraid if I don't do it well, it will damage the prince's reputation!"
"Others don't know Sanlang's talents, so why don't you know it?" The queen smiled and said: "When you were in Baekje, under Liu Renyuan, you had no more than ten thousand lone troops at most, but you were able to recruit the remaining troops of Baekje and drive them to attack thieves. You fought repeatedly. If you win, you will become the strongest force of the Three Koreas. You can even take the people of Baekje for your own use, how can you not even manage the people of the Three Qin Dynasties?"
"Your Majesty, he is like this all the time!" Wang Wenzuo said with a bitter smile: "When I was in Baekje, I allowed him to live and restrained him to die. The power of reward, punishment, kindness and death was left to me alone, so that I could make him go through fire and water. Dare to look back. And everyone in Guanzhong has been a minister who has served for generations, how can I, a newcomer, dare to speak nonsense?"
The more Wang Wenzuo complained about the recommendation, the more the queen refused to let him go. There was only one reason - you were just helping the prince, and the prince already had the power to supervise the country. Such trust and support were not enough. What else do you want? Wang Wenzuo, however, was full of bitterness and could not vomit out. It was true that the prince was the supervisor of the country, but the problem was that the power of the supervisor was given to you by the two of you. Since you two can give the prince the power of supervising the country, you can also take it back. No matter whether this matter succeeds or fails, in the end it will definitely offend all the Dukes above the imperial court. These people may not dare to do anything to the prince (in fact, they may not dare), but they will definitely Dare to take action.
As the saying goes, a thousand people will die without a disease. Even if you have great abilities, you will still die in the face of so many open and secret arrows. At that time, even if the prince is determined to protect himself, he may not be able to do so at that time. Maybe the prince himself cannot protect himself. The two of you threw away my dirty white gloves and let the people in Guanzhong be cut into pieces. Chao Cuo and others will learn from their own mistakes.
"Wang Qing, there is no need to worry!" The queen said with a smile: "Let's do this! Tomorrow the emperor will issue an edict and you will be the right guard of the East Palace. Currently, there is no one on the left guard of the East Palace. In fact, you will be the leader of the six guards of the East Palace. In addition, you are also entrusted to be the envoy of all the armies in Guanzhong to observe and comfort the troops in Guanzhong. All the guards in Guanzhong, up to the armies of the North and South Yamen, and down to the guards in various places, have the power to organize them. How about that?" (End of this chapter)
