"So there is such a thing, I've learned a lesson!" Li Bo nodded: "You and I are old acquaintances, so I won't beat around the bush. Zhou Xing is in trouble with my Lord this time, so I hope to put an informant next to him. , you are the most suitable person to be able to keep an eye on this guy's movements!" At this point, Li Bo untied the money bag from his waist, threw it on the table, and made a dull sound: "What I talked about earlier was business. My little thought, Brother Qi, take this money and get married to Wu Niang earlier, and sooner or later there will be someone who knows how to feel warm and cold!"
"This, how can this be so embarrassing!" Chen Qi looked at the bulging money bag on the table, swallowed, and refused.
"Brother Qi, please don't refuse. This amount of money is nothing to me. Last time, the court recruited bad boys, son-in-laws, and criminals from the city to join the army in Longyou, Anxi. Most of my friends and acquaintances were signed away. , you and Wu Niang are the few acquaintances I recognize!" Li Bo smiled: "Besides, if this matter is handled well, the boss will naturally arrange a good job for you, and this little money is nothing! "
"Well, thank you very much!" Chen Qi reached for the money bag and tied it around his waist, and said with a smile: "Don't worry about Zhou Xing. I am currently working as an errand under the warden and have to go to the Yamen every day. As long as you pay attention, They can’t escape my eyes!”
"Okay!" Li Bo smiled and raised his wine glass: "Then I wish brother Qi that everything will be harmonious. I hope I can drink the wedding wine of you and Wu Niang as soon as possible!"
After Chen Qi left, Li Bo drank two more glasses of wine and slowly finished the food on his plate before leaving Fang Xiangsi. He did not want anyone to discover his relationship with Chen Qi. Returning to the royal residence, he reported the matter of contacting Chen Qi to Yiji Lianbode: "Chen Qi often goes to that side of the house on weekdays. His subordinates asked him to tell An Wuniang when he got the news. I will take it away when I go there, so as not to arouse suspicion!"
"Well, it's great that you can think of so many things!" Ijilianbode said with a smile: "This is Chang'an, and there are many people with mixed eyes. If one bad person falls into someone's hands, it will cause a huge disaster, but be careless. No!"
"Yes!" Li Bo sighed: "If we weren't in Chang'an, we could find a chance to kill this guy with one arrow and everything would be fine. Why would we have to go to such trouble!"
"How can it be so simple!" Yiji Lianbode said with a smile: "Zhou Xing is also under orders from others. Kill him and replace him with someone else. What's the use?"
"Then what should we do?"
"Do our own thing well and wait for the good news!" Ijilianbod said with a smile: "In the final analysis, the Lord has noticed Zhou Xing and has taken the upper hand, just like two armies fighting, one side Is it possible to predict the location of the enemy's scouts and be invincible?"
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East Palace.
"Leader Wang, please wait a moment!"
The voice came from behind. Wang Wenzuo stopped and turned around. The person who spoke was a man with a long beard. He recognized him as the Minister of Ren Dongtai (later renamed the Minister of Huangmen), the third rank of Tongdongtai, and the prince's concubine Zhang Wenguan. He hurriedly bowed Salute: "Wen Zuo pays homage to Prime Minister Zhang!"
"You don't need to be polite, leader Wang!" Zhang Wenguan stretched out his hand to support him and said with a smile: "I heard that you plan to go hunting with the prince in the fields outside the city in a few days? Is this possible?"
"It's true!" Wang Wenzuo was very frank, and it was impossible to hide such things: "What's the matter? Prime Minister Zhang, do you have any advice!"
"I dare not give you advice!" Zhang Wenguan smiled: "But Wang Lingjun, you must have just arrived in Chang'an not long ago! This place is different from the border areas. It is under the emperor's command. You must act cautiously and don't be wild!"
"Oh?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Wang has indeed just returned to Chang'an not long ago. Please give me some advice from Prime Minister Zhang if he does something inappropriate!"
"Don't dare to give me advice!" Zhang Wenguan became serious: "The prince is the prince of a country. He leads the soldiers of the East Palace to hunt. He does not forget military affairs. This is what it should be. But there are also rules for hunting. Every year after the autumn harvest , the vegetation is dry, the birds and beasts have bred and given birth, and by attracting the tribe to hunt, not only can they practice martial arts, but they can also drive away harmful beasts and protect the fields. It is a good deed that kills two birds with one stone. But it is summer now, and the fields are the time for farmers to cultivate. Birds and beasts are also giving birth. If the carriage moves, people and horses trample on it, the livestock eats it, and the people complain, doesn't it harm the prince's virtue?"
"What Prime Minister Zhang said is true! However, the location of the field hunt is within the imperial garden, and there is no common people's property; and there is no need to mobilize the troops. The prince will be simple and simple, and there are only a thousand people around him. It is just to take this opportunity to check the school. It’s just the archery and martial arts of the soldiers of the East Palace!”
"Then it shouldn't be even more important?" Zhang Wenguan said anxiously: "Now that Chang'an is peaceful and peaceful, why is it necessary for the East Palace to review the shooting skills of the soldiers under his command? Haven't you heard about the rumors in Chang'an City, Wang Lingjun?"
"Rumors in Chang'an City?" Wang Wenzuo frowned: "What rumors?"
"You don't have to pretend to be confused in front of me, Commander Wang!" Zhang Wenguan paused and said, "There are rumors that the emperor is not hesitant about the holy body, and there are villains who instigate the relationship between the prince and the queen, alienating the mother and son, and taking the opportunity to train soldiers. , You want to do something unspeakable! Haven’t you heard of this kind of thing?”
"Hahaha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed after hearing this: "Do you believe this, Mr. Zhang?"
"Hey, if I believed it, I wouldn't come to you!" Zhang Wenguan sighed: "But people's words are scary! You, Wang Lingjun, are also smart, so why bother doing such a suspicious thing?"
"Prime Minister Zhang!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "You just said that Chang'an is peaceful and peaceful, but Wang disagrees. You should also know why Wang came back from Chang'an, right? In the Tang Dynasty, thousands of Hebei rebels were in Guanzhong When trouble breaks out, it is necessary to rely on hundreds of Huihe people to quell the chaos. How is this decent? After I returned to Chang'an, the two saints ordered me to organize the troops in the palace and command the troops in the East Palace. Taking advantage of the opportunity of hunting in the field, Inspecting soldiers is the duty of a lower-ranking official. If you don’t dare to do this or that because of a few words, this is not Wang’s doing!”
After hearing Wang Wenzuo's words, Zhang Wenguan was speechless and speechless. As Wang Wenzuo said, the mutiny last year exposed the Tang Dynasty soldiers' cover. The Guanzhong area, where half of the world's military forces gathered, encountered a rebellion of thousands of Hebei soldiers, which actually made the Tang army embarrassed. In the end, they had to pay tribute. The battle was resolved only after Prince Huihe rushed into battle with his personal entourage. Of course a knowledgeable person like Zhang Wenguan knows what this means. The empire is built on the most powerful force. If force fails, then everything else will be like water without a source or a tree without a root. It will be destroyed only by time. problem, so reorganizing the army and rebuilding the military force is the most important thing for the empire at the moment.
"What Wang Lingjun said is indeed right!" Zhang Wenguan was silent for a while, then sighed and said: "But there are right reasons in this world, and there are also contingencies. Of course, rectifying the army is an important matter, but we also have to look at the current situation. Since ancient times, the sky If we, as ministers, get involved in the affairs of the family, most of the time there will be no good results, and we will not be close to each other!"
"It's a joke. There are really not many famous officials in Zhenguan who did not participate in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. What happened to them?" Wang Wenzuo cursed, but of course he would not be stupid enough to say such words. He smiled and said: "Zhang Xiang Jinyu Wang will remember his kind words. Wang will definitely repay his kindness in the future! I still have official duties to attend to, so I'll take my leave!" After saying that, he bowed his hand to Zhang Wenguan and turned around to leave.
Looking at Wang Wenzuo's back, Zhang Wenguan let out a long sigh, with a look of despair on his face.
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The weather was indeed very hot, and Wang Wenzuo's raw silk robe clung to his chest. The air was suffocating and humid, covering the entire city of Chang'an like a wet wool blanket. The poor fled their suffocating homes and tried to grab a seat by the water's edge, where there was only a slight breeze, but the river was choked. The same was true in the East Palace. The air in the majestic and gorgeous house seemed to be solidified. Wang Wenzuo felt like a mosquito stuck in the solidified resin, suffering terribly.
"I finally understand that His Majesty is going to build the Daming Palace in Longshouyuan. At least the terrain there is higher and the wind is strong. The summer in the palace is really hard to live by!" Wang Wenzuo complained as he took off his soaked coat. .
"Is the hunting still going according to the original plan?" Ijilianbod asked: "In this weather, marching and hunting in armor will kill people!"
"Of course!" Wang Wenzuo sneered: "There are seasons for marching and fighting?"
"Okay!" Yijilianbode sighed: "I mean, should you consider His Highness the Crown Prince? I heard that his health is not very good!"
Wang Wenzuo fell into silence. It was indeed as Yijilianbod said. His Royal Highness was frail and sick when he was young. Although he seems to be doing well now, his foundation is average. If he falls ill due to hunting, then he will be completely ruined. The Queen would never let this opportunity pass by.
"you mean?"
"Either His Royal Highness don't go, or make more preparations!"
"Then make more preparations on the carriage! Prepare more ice cubes and put them on the mezzanine of the carriage. Make another mezzanine outside and fill it with shavings of reeds. This will ensure that the inside of the carriage is not hot. There is also a doctor and drinking water. Medicines and so on!" Wang Wenzuo said: "It's impossible not to go. After all, without the prince, I can't command the soldiers of the East Palace!"
"Yes!" Ijilianbode nodded: "My lord, since the soldiers of the East Palace cannot be commanded in a hurry, why not transfer some soldiers from outside to supplement the soldiers of the East Palace!"
"No!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "You don't understand, this is Chang'an, there are too many eyes staring at me, if I make the slightest move, I will be grabbed immediately, and even His Highness the Crown Prince will not be able to save me. Me! The current situation is already very good. Although the soldiers of the East Palace will not obey my orders, but if it is for the crown prince to ascend the throne, there is no need to worry about them not showing their strength! "
"That's true!" Igilian Bod nodded: "But if this is the case, the only people available to you, Lord, are the five hundred people!"
"If it is used well in Chang'an City, five hundred people will be enough! If it is not used well, no matter how many people there are, it will be useless!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand: "The most important thing now is to ensure that the prince gets married as soon as possible. Pei Judao is the Pei clan of Hedong. Dongjuan has a distinguished family background. With his support, the ministers of the DPRK will have another helping hand!"
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Daming Palace.
"Pheasant slave, do you feel better today?" Wu asked carefully while helping Li Zhi up from the couch.
"It's much better!" With the help of his wife, Li Zhi sat up from the couch and sighed: "I'm still a little dizzy and my eyes are blurry! I can't do anything!"
"After lying down for so long, you will naturally feel dizzy. Get up and take a few steps in the garden, and you will naturally feel better!" Wu said with a smile: "I remember that you were born in the second year of Zhenguan, and you are not yet fifty this year. How can we be so decadent in our prime years?"
"That means you still remember my age!" Li Zhi patted the back of his wife's hand and sighed: "If I didn't have this disease, I would indeed be in the prime of my life at this age. It's a pity that God is not fake! Just wait for Hong'er After we get married, let him ascend the throne and become the emperor, and I will abdicate and become the supreme emperor. We and I will go to the Lishan Palace to rest, what do you think, Awu?"
When Mrs. Wu heard what her husband said, she felt secretly resentful, but she said, "That's fine. Chang'an City is cold in winter and hot in summer, and I can't stand it for a long time. I'm sure you want to go to Lishan Palace, pheasant slave." I’ll accompany you. But it’s still early, and Hong’er doesn’t have a son yet. When he has a son, the country will be fundamentally stable, and it won’t be too late for you to abdicate!”
"That's what you said!" Li Zhi nodded: "The emperor has no children, and the country has no foundation. Then we will have to suffer in Chang'an for a few years!"
"My son, why do you have to work hard!" Mrs. Wu smiled and said: "By the way, yesterday the Ministry of War reported something, saying that Hong'er would go to the imperial garden to hunt in a few days!"
"Hunting?" Li Zhi frowned: "Such a hot weather? The season is wrong!"
"Yes!" Wu said, "I asked you that too. The Ministry of War said it was to test the soldiers' archery skills. It should have been Wang Wenzuo's idea!"
"Wang Wenzuo's idea?" Li Zhi fell into deep thought. After a while, he whispered: "We asked him to go back to Chang'an to organize the military affairs. It seems that he has not forgotten it!"
"Yes, if nothing else, he is very loyal to his duties when he is running errands!" Empress Wu said with a smile: "He will not let it go in such a hot weather, so he is working hard!"
Li Zhi nodded, and after a while, he whispered: "Let's do this. Let the accompanying scribes write a letter praising his loyalty and diligence, and then reward him with fifty pieces of silk, and each of the soldiers participating in the hunt will receive one piece of silk. !”
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East Palace.
"I thank your Majesty for your kindness!" Wang Wenzuo knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, then stood up and took the edict announcing the edict.
"General Wang is diligent in his work, and your majesties are very happy!" The eunuch said with a smile: "I often mention you in the palace, and my servants have also heard about it!"
"This is just the duty of a minister!" Wang Wenzuo said: "It's very hot in the house, and there's still a bit of wind in the yard. Why don't we go to the yard to talk!"
"Okay, okay!" The eunuch was already sweating. Hearing Wang Wenzuo's words, he felt as if he had been granted amnesty. The two of them arrived in the yard and sat down on a stone bench under the shade of a tree. The person next to them brought tea. The eunuch took a sip and sighed: "I don't know what happened. This summer is much hotter than in previous years!"
