Cheng Qianye sat behind the desk, seemingly looking seriously at the papers in her hands, but in fact she was secretly glancing at Mo Qiaosheng who was sitting below her and accompanying her in reviewing the papers.
This man, who was so outstanding on the battlefield, instantly turned back into his uneasy look when he stood in front of her.
His eyes were bright and he walked into the hall excitedly. He came to his side, but he just reported a few words of military intelligence in a dry tone and didn't say anything else.
After being given a seat, he just sat there with his head down and in silence as usual.
Cheng Qianye secretly laughed in his heart.
Her general sat there motionless, without even glancing at her, staring at the blue bricks on the ground without blinking, as if flowers were blooming there.
However, in Cheng Qianye's eyes, the color of his face changed several times, sometimes panic, sometimes expectation, and sometimes self-blame.
Both funny and cute.
In the end, Mo Qiaosheng couldn't help himself and secretly glanced at his lord who was "focusing on state affairs."
Unexpectedly, he found that his master was holding the scroll in one hand, leaning back in the chair, looking at him with smiling eyes.
Mo Qiaosheng was confused. How long has the lord been looking at me like this
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he saw through his inner thoughts.
Slowly stretched out that jade-white hand towards him.
Mo Qiaosheng stretched out his hand in a trance, and just as his fingertips touched the elastic skin, the soft and warm palm immediately tightened his hand.
The smooth fingertips gently caressed his calloused palms, pulling him forward.
Mo Qiaosheng felt the blood rushing to his face.
Oops, my face must be really red, he thought.
There seemed to be broken stars in that man's eyes, and the myriad points of light were gently shaking, among which his figure was reflected.
The lips parted slightly, and words came out.
"Qiaosheng, I miss you so much."
A white hand was raised in front of his eyes, blocking his vision, gently brushing his hair, stroking his brow bone, and moving down his face, lingering for a moment at his jaw.
It skimmed across his lips like a dragonfly touching the water.
The numbing feeling that lingered on the tip of his lips went straight to his heart and lungs, and could not be dispelled for a long time.
Mo Qiaosheng's hands hanging at his sides suddenly tightened.
"What about you? Do you miss me?" the man continued to ask.
I, I think of you every night, and there is not a moment when I don't want to return to you.
Mo Qiaosheng shouted in his heart.
However, his stiff lips only moved slightly but no word came out.
But the lord had heard what was in his heart.
Cheng Qianye waved her hand to sweep away the books and scrolls on the table, pressed her Cavalry General on the table, bit her lower lip, and slowly bent down as if looking at a rare gem.
Biyu came in from the side hall carrying tea, and when she looked up she saw scrolls scattered all over the floor.
On the large rosewood carved desk, the famous General Mo was being "bullied" by his lord, who was pressing him down on the table.
Biyu raised her sleeve to cover her mouth in shock. In her panic, a teacup on the tray rolled off.
With a thud, it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Cheng Qianye raised his head from the table, his lips were red, his breathing was disordered, and he looked unhappy. He glared at her fiercely.
Biyu hurriedly left the hall.
She closed the palace door with her hands behind her back and leaned outside the palace door, her face flushed with shame. She covered her pounding chest and thought, "Oh my God, it turns out that those rumors were true."
…
Inside the imperial palace of Haojing, Queen Mother Mo Zang of the Quanrong tribe, wearing a fur coat made of stone and gold brocade and a tall crown decorated with pearls, sat on a chair.
She looked at the young Han man in front of her who was not at all stage-shy and spoke eloquently, and felt worried and uncertain.
They are a nomadic people from the desert grasslands, accustomed to riding horses and herding sheep in the desert smoke and living a nomadic life.
But I never imagined that one day I would be able to invade the Central Plains in one fell swoop, rule the imperial capital of the Central Plains, and live in this magnificent imperial palace.
Many people in the tribe were dazzled by this colorful world and began to pursue comfort and pleasure.
But she did not hide the pearls. She was the queen mother of the Xirong tribe.
A woman who became a widow at a young age and single-handedly helped her young son to sit on the throne in the prairie surrounded by wolves.
She knew that the real turning point for their Xirong clan was approaching.
She wanted to control and conquer this nation with a long history and had long occupied the wealthy areas of the Central Plains. It was not enough to just burn, kill and plunder. She was eager to learn and understand the knowledge and culture of this nation.
Can this man named Zhang Fu really be used by me
Queen Mother Mo Zang said, "Mr. Zhang's knowledge is as rich as the grass on the grassland. Listening to your words, I felt like a lost traveler who saw the stars in the night sky and immediately found the direction to move forward."
"What puzzles me is that for a talent like you, how could the Lord of Jin not use the most honorable title to support you and give you the opportunity to come before me?"
Zhang Fu put on his signature smile and bowed to Queen Mother Mo Zang: "If everyone had the insight to recognize talent like the Queen Mother, Zhang would not have to wander around like this."
Then, he showed a dejected expression and sighed softly: "Ever since my lord, the old Marquis of Jin Wei, passed away, the new lord has been perverse and favored lowly people such as slaves. Not only did he not listen to my honest advice, but he demoted me several times and even transferred me far away from the political center, only sending me to handle miscellaneous affairs."
"That would be fine, but the nobles in the court saw that I had lost my power and excluded me in every way. They framed me and accused me of a crime they did not commit not long ago, forcing me to leave my homeland and flee the State of Jin."
Queen Mother Mo Zang exchanged glances with her sister Mo Zang Hongzhu who was sitting beside her.
Mei Zang Hongzhu nodded at her with an affirmative expression.
So Queen Mother Mo Zang showed even more respect and courtesy to the wise and humble, and granted Zhang Fu the status of a guest official on the spot.
Mei Cang Hongzhu comforted Zhang Fu: "Mr. Zhang, don't worry. The Queen Mother is eager to find talents. Now that Mr. Zhang has surrendered to the Western Rong, the Queen Mother will treat you as a guest of honor. As long as you do your best for the Western Rong, there will always be a day when you can hold your head high in front of the King of Jin."
After seeing Zhang Fu off.
Queen Mother Mo Zang frowned and said to her sister Mo Zang Hongzhu: "Is this man really reliable? I heard that after he came to Haojing, he was very generous and spent gold and silver to make friends with your lover. You didn't accept his money to recommend him to me, did you?"
Mei Cang Hongzhu was shocked when she heard this. She touched the white fox fur scarf around her neck guiltily.
She had indeed accepted a lot of good things from Zhang Fu, and was persuaded by Zhang Fu's eloquent speech, so she recommended Zhang Fu to her sister.
But no matter what, she would not say these out loud.
"How could my elder sister miss me so much? How could I be so ignorant of the importance of things? Now the conflict between our Mo Zang clan and the Liang clan of Empress Liang is becoming increasingly fierce. At this critical juncture, I should share my worries with my elder sister and recommend a truly great talent to her."
She reached out and took hold of her sister's sleeve, shaking it gently.
Although the Queen Mother was her biological sister, she had been afraid of this resourceful and strict sister since she was a child.
"Sister, you have just personally examined him. Isn't this Zhang Fu a truly learned man?"
"Besides, I have sent people to inquire carefully. It is true that the Marquis of Jinyue once expelled Zhang Fu from the city for a concubine. He only gave up after Zhang Fu knelt down outside the city gate and begged for mercy."
"Later, he never brought Zhang Fu with him, but instead sent him far away to Jiangcheng to be in charge of food and fodder. Zhang Fu was indeed ostracized by many parties in Jiangcheng and had a hard time. I have inquired about all this and it cannot be false."
Queen Mother Mei Zang then relaxed her expression and said, "I am very pleased that you care so much about the family. The Marquis of Jinyue defeated Pei Zhen. I always felt that he was not such an unjust person. Pei Zhen's loss of such a battle greatly weakened the momentum of our family. I really need some talented people to assist me."
"From what I've seen from this man's conversation, he is indeed a knowledgeable person. If it's really as you said, then he can be used. However, the Han people are not our kind after all, so we can't trust them easily. We still need to investigate carefully."
Mei Zang Hongzhu breathed a sigh of relief, "Don't worry, sister. His residence is full of my people, monitoring his actions at all times. If I find out that he has evil intentions and makes unusual moves, I will make sure he dies a miserable death."
Queen Mother Mei Zang nodded and sighed.
She had been strong-willed all her life, and as a widow, she had used her power to exclude dissidents and protect her son's throne. But now her son had grown up, and was dissatisfied with her monopolizing power, and gradually became estranged from her. He supported his wife, Queen Liang, and the Queen's family, and began to oppose her in every way.
At this time, at Queen Liang's residence.
Queen Liang was smashing the cup in her hand. "That old woman made our army lose face in front of the people of Jin. It's not enough. She even recruited people from Jin as her staff?"
Her uncle Liang Ji advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Mo Zang and Pei Zhen suffered a loss in Bianzhou, which greatly damaged the reputation of the Queen Mother. But the Mo Zang family still holds military power. We, the Liang family, do not have a general who can lead the army. That's why we can't compete with the Queen Mother. It's a pity that General Wei Mingshan of Zhengzhou has been reluctant to recruit us."
Her nephew Liang Yi said, "Your Majesty, I have heard of the name of my uncle Zhang Fu. They say he is a genius and good at strategy. He has just arrived and may not be loyal to the Empress Dowager. I will test him some other day to know his true colors."
It was snowing and Zhang Fu returned to his residence.
He got off the carriage and reached out to catch a piece of snow falling from the dim night sky.
Guarding the door were several strong Quanrong warriors, who looked at him, a foreigner, with cold eyes.
Although Mei Zang Hongzhu said that these people were sent to protect his safety, it was obvious that they were also sent to monitor and control him.
Xiao Xiu came out from the door, opened an umbrella, and welcomed him into the house.
"The gentleman is back."
Zhang Fu nodded, and with a smile that was always on his face, he walked slowly into the house.
The two men entered the inner room, took off their cloaks, and gathered around the stove to keep warm.
Xiao Xiu knelt respectfully and served tea, and asked in a low voice: "Sir, is everything going well today?"
Zhang Fu stretched out his hand over the charcoal basin to dispel the cold, and stared at the red charcoal in the basin.
Smooth? This is like trying to pull a chestnut out of a fire, or walking on a tightrope over an abyss. You have to be careful at every step. If you make a mistake, you will die without a complete body. How can it be smooth
Zhang Fu said softly: "Xiao Xiu, why did you come with me? Are you really not afraid?"
"I am here for the same reason as you, sir," Xiao Xiu said, busying herself with her head down, without even looking up. "Although I am humble, I also have a heart to contribute to the country."
Zhang Fu looked at the young man who had accompanied him into the dangerous place and smiled: "I found that anyone who is around him will be unconsciously attracted to him. Influenced by him, they will gradually follow his footsteps. Perhaps, it is because of this trait that he became the monarch I chose."
In the West Mountain of Bianzhou, Cheng Qianye led Helan Zhen, Yu Dunsu, Xiao Jin, Mo Qiaosheng and other close confidants to hunt in the West Mountain.
As it got dark, everyone lit a bonfire and roasted a sika deer that they had just hunted.
On the snow, eating venison and drinking fine wine, they talked about the major issues of their country and the world. Everyone felt a sudden surge of heroic spirit and their hearts were filled with joy.
Cheng Qianye raised his glass and said, "The small success of Jin State today is all due to the efforts of you all. In today's world, many heroes have emerged. I want to compete in the Central Plains and strengthen my Jin State. I hope you can help me!"
Everyone responded in unison and raised their glasses to celebrate.
After three rounds of drinks, people gradually became less restrained and began to clink glasses and toast each other.
Yao Tianxiang held a golden cup and waved to Mo Qiaosheng, "Come here, General Mo, I'll toast you."
Mo Qiaosheng knelt down to receive the wine and was about to drink it all in one gulp.
Cheng Qianye stretched out his hand to stop him: "Wait a minute, what are you giving him to drink?"
Yao Tianxiang rolled her eyes at her. "What are you imagining? This is deer blood wine. It can dispel cold and replenish qi. It's best to drink it in winter. Come on, General Mo, you've worked hard. Drink more."
The author has something to say: I found that I am often late for the 9 o'clock update, so from today on, I will update at 11 o'clock every night. Please be informed. Thank you for your support along the way.