Sandalwood scented, in the magnificent hall, four graceful girls in neon clothes and feather clothes danced and spun lightly with the silk and bamboo. Tasting wine, listening to music and watching dances on the wicker chair made of old vines, two pretty girls waited around, sometimes feeding wine to Chai Shen, sometimes picking vegetables for Chai Shen, leisurely, leisurely, romantic and happy, as always.
After dancing to a song, Xiangluan danced but retracted its wings, and the crane song ended with a long lead. Chai Shen clapped his hands in satisfaction, and praised: "That's right, a thousand flowers are worth it, like a dancer trained by Yulou, as expected. It’s worth the money, the people are beautiful, the dance is even more beautiful, thanks.”
"Thank you, Master." The four dancers bowed to thank Chai Shen. Chai Shen laughed loudly, and beckoned all four dancers to come to him, offered wine to them one by one, lifted their chins to look carefully, and chose his mug for tonight. But at this moment, the voices of Chai Shen's son Chai Shao and his daughter-in-law Li Xiuning came from outside the hall. Chai Shen had no choice but to let the dancers back down and let his son and daughter-in-law enter the hall.
"Father, good news, good news." Chai Shao rushed in with his daughter-in-law Li Xiuning, and said quickly before saluting: "Father, father-in-law wrote to Hai'er and Xiuning, saying that His Majesty the Emperor has appointed him as Honghua Staying behind, I also know the military affairs of Guanyou, and I have already ordered my father-in-law to go to face the saint, and return to Daxing with His Majesty the Emperor."
"Honghua stayed behind? Know about the military affairs of Guanyou? Doesn't this mean that His Majesty has given the military power to the west of Longshan Mountain to the in-laws?" Chai Shen was overjoyed when he heard that, and applauded: "Okay, the in-laws have the military power in hand, you From now on, my father and son will carry more weight in speaking in the court."
"There is even better news." Chai Shao said happily: "Father-in-law also asked me in the letter if I would like to go to the army for training. After so many years of being a thousand oxen, I finally have the opportunity to take a step forward."
"Stinky boy, why don't you thank your wife Xiuning? Without Xiuning, would Tang Guogong give you a hand?" Chai Shen laughed and scolded, and after thinking for a while, he asked in surprise: "Wait, Yuan Hongsi's rebellion is not a rumor What? He did a good job in Honghua, why would the emperor suddenly think of replacing him?"
"This... babe doesn't know." Chai Shao answered in embarrassment.
"Father-in-law, it seems that His Majesty decided to replace Yuan Liushou for the sake of caution." Li Xiuning, who had been silent all this time, said in a gentle manner: "Although Yuan Liushou's rebellion was a rumor deliberately spread by Yang Ni, Yuan Liushou was still punished for it." After being questioned by the imperial court and innocently implicated, it is difficult for Yuan to stay behind and there will be no resentment in his heart. Honghua is Daxing's barrier against the Turks going south, and its status is important. It is not surprising that His Majesty the Emperor issued an edict to replace Yuan stay behind for the sake of caution."
"Poor Yuan Hongsi, you are unlucky, no one else is to blame." Chai Shen gloated, and said with a smile: "But it's okay, Yuan Hongsi is unlucky, and the in-laws take the opportunity to take charge of the army. The in-laws have a high status, and we can follow suit." Zhanguang. Speaking of which, we really have to thank that traitor Yang Xuangan."
Chai Shao agreed with a smile, gloating just like his father, but Li Xiuning remained calm, and said to Chai Shen: "Eunuch, my father is in the letter, and I want to ask my father-in-law to help me win someone over for him, and put him at all costs." Win over to our Li family, father is very optimistic about this person."
"Who?" Chai Shen asked quickly.
"Seize Yang Xuangan's office in the Zanzhi Mansion in Henan." Li Xiuning replied, "Father is too far away from the battlefield to suppress the rebellion, and he has to go to see the saint first, so he can't spare a hand to win him over personally, and my elder brother and the others don't have official positions right now. , it is a little insufficient to come forward to win over, so I ask you, father-in-law, to act on your behalf and get in touch with this person as soon as possible."
"This matter is easy!" Chai Shen agreed, and smiled: "You don't need to send someone to find him, you can see him soon, there is news from Tongguan that Wei Liushou has escorted Yang Xuangan's traitor to Daxing That's right, the reporter nicknamed Xiao Chen Qingzhi also came to Daxing with his white-robed soldiers, waiting for His Majesty the Emperor to return to Beijing for inspection. We will see him in a few days, and the old man will personally come forward and invite him here If you come to have a banquet at home, give more precious gifts, and make some connections, you will definitely be able to bring him under the Chai and Li families."
Li Xiuning thanked him politely, but Chai Shao said dismissively: "Is it necessary? A small clerk who has made meritorious deeds by chance and doesn't even have an official position. How can he spend so much effort to win over? With the status of our Chai and Li families, Just a hello, the kid kept himself at the door to ask for an interview, and begged us to take him in."
The military genius Li Xiuning glanced at her husband, and said calmly: "Mr. Lang, you must not neglect this little secretary. He has made outstanding contributions and performed outstandingly in this battle against the rebellion. He has become a star after the face saint. Nail, if we don't seize the time to win him over, once he is won over by other clans, it will be too late for us to regret."
"Xiu Ning is right, you brat, don't talk nonsense!" Chai Shen also scolded: "You have defeated rebels in a row, killed more than ten thousand enemies without losing, and led hundreds of cavalry into tens of thousands of rebels to burn food and grass. Then in Hongnong, defeated 5,000 remnants and defeated the main force of 50,000 rebels, and captured Yang Xuangan himself and the famous general Li Zixiong alive. Such a rare general and talent, that family does not want to win over? If you, a brat, can have half of his achievements , I don’t have to worry about your future.”
Hearing his father's words, Chai Shao, who was proud and arrogant, of course had an extremely ugly expression. He hummed and said, "Lead hundreds of cavalry into the tens of thousands of rebel troops, burn the food and grass, and calmly break out of the encirclement? Dongdu is also really Dare to brag and cheat, such a record, father, do you believe it? Have you heard of it before?"
"Whether it's bragging or not, the fact that that kid captured Yang Xuangan alive is enough for him to rise to the top." Chai Shen waved his hand, not quite believing the rumors of this record.
After thinking about it for a while, Chai Shen also said: "I don't know this kid's age, appearance, family background, whether he is married, if it is suitable, the old man can consider recruiting him as his son-in-law, to settle Qian'er's concern, and give it to me." Our Chai family recruited a talented son-in-law to come in."
"Father, are you joking?" Chai Shao said a little bluntly: "On the official document sent back to Daxing by Wei Liushou, he didn't even bother to mention the name of the clerk, and he just called him Henan Zanzhi Mansion." Chen from the office, it can be seen from this that this little official in the office must not have a good background, he is just a stinky scumbag who got lucky!"
"That's true. Wei Liushou didn't even bother to mention his name, which proves that this clerk shouldn't have a good background, and his background may be very humble." Chai Shen nodded, agreeing with his precious son's judgment, and then gritted his teeth and said "It's all the poor boy surnamed Chen who ruined Qian'er's reputation. Otherwise, the old man would have married Qian'er into a famous family to be his regular wife. Why should I still worry about Qian'er's marriage now?"
It's good that Chai Shen didn't mention Chen Yingliang, but when he mentioned Chai Shao's former future brother-in-law, Chai Shao's face was full of anger, and just when he was about to gnash his teeth and curse, it happened that a servant of Chai's family ran to the door of the hall quickly, He clasped his hands and said loudly, "My lord, my lord, someone from Datong Fang came to report that the poor boy from the Chen family came home, and begged the lord and young master to honor the reward he promised."
"What a coincidence?!" Chai Shen and Chai Shao, who just mentioned Chen Yingliang's name, were a little bit tongue-tied, and then asked in unison, "When did you come back? Is the news reliable?"
"Not long after I came back, the news should be reliable." The servant said truthfully: "It was a letter reported by a neighbor named Chen, saying that he saw the kid surnamed Chen hugging his hometown Ding and crying bitterly. The neighbor remembered the old man. I promised that there will be ten rewards for reporting the letter, so hurry up and report it in front of our house."
"Good to be back!" Chai Shao said through gritted teeth, and then roared: "Call thirty servants immediately, bring the guys, and prepare the horse for me, I will personally capture this poor boy, and take care of it slowly! "
Before the servant had time to sing the promise, Chai Shen, who almost became Chen Yingliang's father-in-law, had already yelled, "Move quickly, don't let this little poor man run away again!"
The messenger hurriedly sang promises. Li Xiuning originally wanted to persuade her husband and father-in-law to settle down, but considering her father-in-law and husband’s hatred for Chen Yingliang, and the harm Chen Yingliang caused to her sister-in-law Chai Qian, Li Xiuning changed her mind and just pulled Chai Shao The sleeve of his sleeve warned: "Mr. Lang, don't make things big. It's best to arrest him quietly. The fewer people you disturb, the better. Also, don't conflict with his neighbor Fang's family. The person named Fang Although my father's official position is not too high, he can often get in touch with important officials in the court, and it is best not to conflict with them if possible."
Li Xiuning's instructions were also in vain. When Chai Shao led a large group of wolf-like servants to Datongfang, Chen Yingliang had already taken Chen Laosan there, and none of the neighbors knew where Chen Yingliang was going. In a fit of rage, Chai Shao, who hated Chen Yingliang so much, broke into Fang Xuanling's house and asked Fang Xuanling's pregnant wife about Chen Yingliang's whereabouts.
If it was an ordinary woman's family, it would be fine for Chai Shao to do this. Unfortunately, this time, Chai Shao happened to meet the wife of Fang Xuanling, a fierce woman who can be counted among five thousand years in China. Under such circumstances, Mrs. Lu scolded Chai Shao all the way, and used the broom that usually beat Fang Xuanling, and beat Chai Shao from the room all the way to the outside of the courtyard, beating Chai Shao all the way. He was covered in chicken dung, and no matter how arrogant and irritable Chai Shao was, he would not dare to do anything to a pregnant woman in the capital. He also heard from other neighbors that Chen Yingliang had already left with Chen Laosan, so Chai Shao had no choice but to return to Taipingfang in disgrace. , Discuss countermeasures with his father Chai Shen.
"Send someone to look for it! Send out all the servants in the family and search the whole city, even if it is heaven and earth, I will find that poor boy out for the old man!" This is the idea of Chai Shen, Duke Chaijun, who was furious. .
"Father, we are short of manpower." Chai Shao said in embarrassment: "Even if all the servants in our family are sent out, there will be less than 200 people, and Daxing City is so big, there are 109 people in Fangshi alone. Looking for it?"
Chai Shen closed his mouth with a livid face, and his face became even uglier, while Chai Shao had an idea, and hurriedly said: "Father, don't worry, my son will go to Xiuning and ask, she has many ideas, let's see if she has any good ideas." .”
As he said that, Chai Shao turned around and walked out, but Chai Shen shouted: "Stop! I usually have Xiuning around, so I don't bother to talk about you. You are a manly man, and you listen to your wife's arrangements in everything and have no idea. What are you talking about? A How can a man become a master if he doesn't have his own opinion? How can he be independent?"
Chai Shao, who was indeed a little afraid of guilt, stopped, and his face began to look awkward - but this cannot be completely blamed on Chai Shao's incompetence. When meeting such a beautiful and powerful wife as Li Xiuning, there are really few men who can do it well. Fear of guilt. In desperation, Chai Shao could only ask, "Father, what should we do?"
Chai Shen looked a little hesitant, gritted his teeth after a long while, and then said in a low voice: "Daxing Commander Han Shimo has already stayed with the guards to go out to fight, and now the general affairs in Daxing City are presided over by Daxing County Prime Minister Wang Feng. I went to see Wang Feng with some presents, and said that poor boy Chen Yingliang was the remnant of Yang Ni's henchmen. Search!"
Chai Shao was tongue-tied at first, and then he said ecstatically: "Father, what a great plan! The little thief who framed him is the remnant of Yang Ren's henchmen. Once the notice is posted, he will have nowhere to stay in Daxing City. You can catch it openly!"
"What planting?" Chai Shen snorted coldly: "That little thief is probably really a remnant of Yang Ni's henchman, at least a relative of an important figure in the rebel army. If you ask Wang Feng to issue a notice to arrest him, you can't do it. It can be regarded as serving the country!"
"Father, what do you mean?" Chai Shao was a little confused.
Chai Shen looked around cautiously, and then leaned into his son's ear, and introduced the situation in a low voice. Chai Shao was dumbfounded by what he heard, and after a while, he said in a tongue-tied voice: "That little thief , and such a background?"
"It's a pity that the family doesn't recognize the relatives of the Chen family." Chai Shen said with a sneer: "As far as I know, when the thief Chen Yingliang was two years old, his father's title was taken away, so he found a relative to ask for help. It's a pity that his relative He was a snobbish eye, looked down on the Chen family's shabby household, and didn't recognize him at all. He was so angry that Chen's father swore to sever ties with his relatives on the spot, and never had any contact with him again. That little thief, Chen Yingliang, probably didn't even have such a prominent relative. Know."
"It doesn't matter whether little thief Chen knows or not, the important thing is that we know." Chai Shao grinned, and said viciously: "As long as little thief Chen is caught, he will be tortured first to force him to admit that he joined the team of traitors, and then his identity will be made public." With this background, we can cut him into pieces and put him to death! Our previous divorce can also be said to be prescient."
"For the sake of the previous generation's friendship, this old man originally wanted to let this kid go, but since he insists on courting his own death, this old man is not welcome!" Chai Shen also snorted heavily, and ordered: "It's getting dark , go quickly, bring more presents, if necessary, you can tell Wang Feng the background of the little thief in private, let him rest assured to catch people, and then tell him, as long as this little thief can be caught, he will be punished. Fellow traitors, I will never forget this friendship, and there will be rich rewards in the future!"
Chai Shao hurriedly agreed to go, and Chai Shen continued to gnash his teeth in the room, imagining how he would take revenge after catching his future son-in-law, but he didn't know how much time had passed when the door was suddenly kicked open , and then rushing in the door, when Chai Shen, who is very particular about etiquette, raised his head angrily, he suddenly saw that it was none other than his beloved daughter Chai Qian who was quite guilty of rushing in.
"Father, I heard that the little thief is back?" Chai Qian hurriedly said: "Daughter just heard from family members that the little thief Chen Yingliang is back, brother took people to arrest him, did you catch him?"
"No, let him run away again." Chai Shen looked a little helpless, and comforted him: "Qian'er, don't worry, father is already trying to catch him, and when he is caught, father will definitely vent his anger on you .”
"No, I'm going to chop him up with my own hands!" Chai Qian said through gritted teeth, "I still have to ask him face to face, why should he ruin my reputation? How is he worthy of me?"
"No problem." Chai Shen said affectionately: "When the little thief is caught, I will hand him over to you as a father, and let you dispose of him."
Hearing what Chai Shen said, Chai Qian, who was quite anxious, calmed down a little bit. After careful calculation, Chai Qian turned around and left, saying loudly: "No, I have to go to him personally, Daxing The city is so big, there must be not enough manpower in my brother's hands."
"Qian'er, where do you go to look for it?" Chai Shen couldn't laugh or cry, and shouted at Chai Qian's back: "You haven't seen him before, where do you go to look for him? How do you find him?"
Chai Qian stopped in her tracks, and then remembered that she had never met her former fiancé, Chen Yingliang. If she just went to look for her, she might not recognize her if she met. Fortunately, this was not difficult for Chai Qian. Said: "It's okay, brother has seen that traitor, doesn't he know some calligraphy and painting? I asked him to draw a portrait of Chen Xiaozui for me, and then I can take people against the portrait."
"No need, by tomorrow, the pictures of that little thief will definitely be all over the street, so there is no need to bother your elder brother, and besides, he has only seen the little thief once, so he may not remember the appearance of the little thief carefully. "
Chai Shen smiled, and roughly explained her arrangement to her beloved daughter. Chai Qian was overjoyed when she heard it, and immediately applauded her father regardless of whether her father's approach was right or wrong. After a few words of applause, Chai Qian was still not completely satisfied. He said again: "But I still have to catch this little thief myself. I have a good friend who just saw this little thief once, and there are many people in his hands. I will go to her to help catch him tomorrow." Chai Qian said. Hurriedly going out to arrange staff to contact friends, there was no chance for Chai Shen to object.
Knowing her daughter is more like her father, of course Chai Shen knows who her daughter's best friend is. For himself and for the Chai family, of course Chai Shen will not stop his daughter from getting closer to her best friend and get on good terms with each other. Turning a blind eye and letting her daughter go on messing around.