The Northern Qi emperor in the pavilion suddenly lost the smile on his face, and returned to the silence he usually held when he was alone. He grew up in the palace since he was a child. When his father first died, he faced the most difficult test in his life. Although with the strong support of Kuhe Guoshi, the queen mother carried him through this hardship, but With such a start, it is destined that his career as an emperor will be very unsatisfactory.
Yes, there are many reasons for the dissatisfaction, but the most important one is naturally the secret that is hidden in his heart, in the heart of the Queen Mother, and in the heart of Ku He Guoshi, which can never be revealed.
For this secret, the Northern Qi emperor paid too many sacrifices and made too many changes that distorted his character. He can't have close relationships with too many people, he can't be too intimate with his sisters, he can't do whatever he wants presumptuously, and he can do whatever he wants. For more than ten years, the people around him have never changed. It was tightly sealed as if facing an enemy, and the side concubines in the harem were still complaining...
In order to distract Nan Qing's attention, and to make the ministers in the court more vigilant, he and his mother have played the scene of mother-child disagreement for so many years, which is really hard.
He doesn't want to take on these, but since he has already taken on them, as a descendant of the Zhan family, he has inherited his grandfather's ambition and will to sweep the world, so he has to do his part well.
It must be admitted that he has done very well these years, and no one can find too many faults with the little emperor. He connived and even secretly induced Uesugi Tiger Yuye to kill Shen Zhong, confiscated Shen's house, and firmly controlled the entire Jinyiwei in the hands of the royal family. Uesugi Tiger was put under house arrest for a year to weaken his spirit, and then he was released from prison to suppress the aggressive Qing army in the south. Suppressing tyrants within the national border, colluding with Fan Xian outside the national border.
One trick after another... In the past two years, the Northern Qi government has become more and more orderly under his management, especially the Jiangnan incident, which proved the little emperor's foresight and scheming.
Even if the person in charge of Jiangnan Neiku is not Fan Xian, he must have the ability to seek some benefits secretly. But the Northern Qi Emperor knew in his heart that there were many levels of benefits. No matter how he imagined it, he never thought that he could obtain so many benefits for his court through Fan Xian.
He patted the railing lightly, looked at the clear water in the mountain stream, sighed, and said softly to himself: "But why did you come? Why did you give me all the benefits?" The corners of his lips A cold and mocking smile appeared: "Emperor Qing's illegitimate son... how different is it from his father?"
During the years of studying to become an emperor, the only object that the Northern Qi emperor could find in reality was of course that powerful monarch of Nanqing. He knew how his colleague who was a generation older than himself had coexistence of ambition and ambition. A powerful character who is good at forbearance.
"You will grow old after all, and you are already old..." The Northern Qi Emperor frowned slightly, turned his eyes slightly, looked to the far south, and thought of the recent royal dispute in the capital of Nanqing, he said softly: "Even if you were an old man back then, Xiongshi, you beat Wei to pieces, beat me to death, but you are old after all, and your whole body smells of decay. I really hope that you can continue to be so insidious and rotten, and give him I force you to come here."
These few words seem to be lamenting every detail of history, and seem to increase their confidence, because everyone knows that no matter how sensitive and suspicious the emperor of Qing is, history only believes in history itself, and the past History has proved that the Qing Emperor is the only victor in the world in the past thirty years.
The little Northern Qi emperor's eyes narrowed, the corners of his lips slightly curled up, and he murmured to himself: "Zhen, I hope you can survive this time, so that I can defeat you on the stage of the world in an open and honest manner."
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He couldn't understand Fan Xian, but in fact, Fan Xian could see him clearly.
As an emperor, no matter what color the heart in his body is, his first consideration is of course his throne and the world. If the relationship between Fan Xian and him can always be peaceful and mutually beneficial, the Northern Qi emperor will satisfy him at all costs. Fan Xian's request, such as Haitang, such as Fan Ruoruo's apprenticeship.
But in the future, if Fan Xian threatened Northern Qi, the Emperor of Northern Qi would definitely use all his strength at hand to eliminate Fan Xian.
It has nothing to do with emotion, has nothing to do with nationality, and has nothing to do with men and women.
In this world, there are only three kinds of people—men, women, and emperors.
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The flowing water in the stream under the pavilion flows down the mountain, flows to the side of the palace complex on the lowest floor, and merges into a pool of clear water at the foot of the mountain. There is a small gap made of white stones near the west of the clear water, from which the gurgling clear water flows. out, but did not provoke the slightest movement in the pool.
At this time, in the woods behind the pool of clear water, a large group of eunuchs and maids were waiting with their heads bowed. No one knew that His Majesty the Emperor was in a daze in the gazebo on the mountainside. The two angry people were in a daze beside the pool.
A national teacher Ku He, who was dressed in sackcloth, hat and bare feet, looked like an ascetic monk, was sitting on a stone on the side of Qingtan, holding a fishing rod in his hand.
And the Empress Dowager of the Northern Qi Dynasty, this woman who put in so much effort and endured so many accusations of arbitrariness and chaos in order to let her son sit firmly on the throne, sat with a smile beside Master Ku He, her eyes full of peace quiet.
At that time, the Zhan family started from the chaos of the world and forcibly inherited the Great Wei Tianbao with military power. However, the wars continued for many years. I don’t know how many powerful generals in the royal family died in the Nanqing Emperor’s fierce offensive. After the surnamed emperor died of illness, she and the little emperor of Northern Qi were the only orphans and widows left in the palace.
At that time, during Chen Pingping's reign in Nanqing, the political situation in the Northern Dynasties was in turmoil, princes and nobles clamored one after another, and the situation in the palace was precarious. But even under such circumstances, the woman still let her son sit firmly on the dragon chair.
The most important thing, of course, is the tough statement of the great master beside her at this time. But at the same time, it also proved that this empress dowager was definitely not as mediocre as she appeared on the surface.
Ku He's eyes calmly looked at the rippling water surface.
The queen mother smiled slightly, but she remembered the changes in the capital in the past year. There was a change in the palace back then, she let Marquis Changning risk his life out of the palace, asking Shen Chong to bring someone to help, Shen Zhong and Jin Yiwei made great contributions. But once the emperor grew up, he couldn't bear the heaviness and continued to be arrogant, so he made up his mind.
The Empress Dowager felt guilty about Shen Shen in her heart, but her son's mind had been made up, she knew that she could not persuade her, so she acquiesced in the occurrence of this matter—people from the Zhan family always seem to be so persistent, and it is impossible to be influenced by other people to change , such as her son, such as the one beside her.
But she still wants to continue to work hard, because the emperor of Northern Qi had a long talk with her last night, and she always felt that this matter was not as good as imagined, so she was invited to persuade Guoshi Kuhe—that's why today's Tanbian greeting.
"I haven't met Li Yunrui, I just passed a lot of secret letters with her." The Queen Mother of Northern Qi said gently. In front of Ku He, she naturally wouldn't call herself Aijia. Although her face was still dignified, her tone of voice sounded like she was just an ignorant little girl.
Ku He smiled, and said: "The three kingdoms are far apart. When Zhuang Mohan was invited to go south, he had never seen the face of the eldest princess of the Southern Dynasty."
The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "That's why the Zhuang family has left a lifetime of regrets."
Ku He shook her head: "But I have met the eldest princess, so I know that this woman is not simple. This time, the change of the capital of the Southern Dynasty happened so quickly without any movement, which is really unexpected." I expected."
"Doudou means..." The Queen Mother said after a moment of contemplation: "The confrontation between the two countries is ultimately a struggle of national strength, so it is better not to take risks."
"Why didn't he come and talk to my master in person?" Ku He smiled and said, "After all, the child is still young, so he probably doesn't understand why the Emperor Qing has behaved in such a mess these years, why we old fellows are still so vigilant."
He continued: "Because I know, and you also know, that the emperor of the Qing Kingdom is really not an ordinary person. In the second generation, there was not a great master, but there was an emperor who used soldiers like a god..." His Frowning, "The longer he endures, the more uneasy I feel."
The Empress Dowager of Northern Qi sighed and said, "Even so, there is no good way."
The old man smiled, took off his hat, revealed his big bald head, and said happily: "I remember that Ye Liuyun also likes to run around the world wearing a hat... Even such a person can be used by Li Yunrui. Figured out a way."
At this point in the topic, the Empress Dowager knew that she could no longer persuade the national teacher to change her mind, and said respectfully: "Uncle, let's look at it more, it is always good for us to let them make troubles about the Southern Dynasties."
"Time is running out." The fishing rod in Ku He's hand did not tremble, and he said slowly: "If we old guys can't solve this problem when we are alive, who will be able to solve it in the future?"
These words are very consistent with what the great master in the thatched cottage said.
The Queen Mother's hands trembled slightly, and she said with a smile: "Where's Haitang? Besides... there's Fan Xian in the south."
Ku He laughed, and said, "Fan Xian, this young man will depend on his luck. If he is smart and strong enough, he will get the most benefit from this matter, and it can be regarded as a gift from me. A gift from him. With this young man's heart, since he has accepted Doudou's great affection, he will always think of me, Beiqi, in the future."
In the final analysis, those in power in the Northern Qi knew that in terms of national strength, the Northern Qi, which had been suffering for a long time, would still be unable to catch up with or surpass Nanqing in a short period of time. Keeping in charge, that's why there is a good word for love.
"I thought it would be more likely to be the prince or the second child of the Southern Dynasty." The Queen Mother said with a frown.
Ku He shook his head: "Fan Xian is so good at killing people who are afraid of death, how can he give them a chance to be in the top position? If there is such a possibility, you think he is really reluctant to kill people... In this whole world, it is possible to be under Fan Xian's control." There are not many people who can kill people without dying."
The queen mother was slightly taken aback, she did not expect the national teacher's assessment of Fan Xian's strength to be so strong.
"Don't forget, there is a blind man behind him, but it is impossible for Ye Liuyun to be a bodyguard for those princes of the Southern Dynasty."
Ku He smiled and raised the fishing rod in his hand. There is a fishhook tied to a thin line on the rod, and he is not fishing with a rope as boringly as some people do, in order to seek the realm of shit.
The fishhook came out of the water, dripped a few drops of clear beads, and fell into the water again. The clear water in the pool of the palace seemed to be excited by these few drops of clear pearls. There was a splashing sound, and the green water plants at the bottom of the water swayed helplessly.
Countless golden or blue fish jumped out of the water, leaping joyfully, slapping the water surface with sound, as if expressing their gratitude to the ascetic monk holding the fishing rod.
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The sound of the water gradually calmed down, flowing out from the gap in the clear pool, forming a stream of white jade, then moistening half of the hills, flowing out of the palace wall along the stone-built imperial waterway, and merging into the Yuquan River. The Jianshui in the palace is just a tributary of the Yuquan River, but in fact, the reason why the Yuquan River got its name is because of the name of the Jianshui on the green hill in the palace - Yuquan, Yuquan also.
The water of the Yuquan River flows into the upper capital, passing through a garden not far from the palace wall.
This is the garden of Miss Begonia. It is really a rare and good place to find tranquility in the bustling area of Shangjing. So in the past, Fan Xian had ridiculed her for her name, but she never thought that this kind of countryside was full of luxury in the dark, and there was no sense of country in it.
At this time, two girls walked out of the garden. Boarded the carriage outside the garden and headed towards the city.
It didn't take long for the carriage to arrive at the busiest area in Shangjing, and the speed of the carriage naturally slowed down. When passing by an antique shop, the coachman seemed to have heard the call of the woman in the carriage and stopped.
Haitang put down the right hand that was holding up the car curtain, turned to Fan Ruoruo and said, "It's your brother, do you want to go down and say hello?"
Fan Ruoruo smiled and said, "Since it's his treat today, let's not meet in advance, let's take a stroll in Shangjing first."
Haitang nodded. The carriage moved again, without disturbing the people in the antique shop.
Inside the antique shop, a fat young man was looking down at the goods inside. This person was no one else, but he was kicked by Fan Xian to Shangjing City, suffered countless hardships under Haitang's hands, finally survived, and accepted the second young master of the Fan family, Fan Sizhe, who took the north route of the Cui family line.
I don't know if it's because of the change of appearance, or because the life away from home made this young man a little precocious. At this time, his brows and eyes are all calm, without the arrogance and arrogance of the past, making people look younger than his real age. Much more mature.
Tonight, he was having a big banquet at Beijing Branch in Baoyue Building. He knew in advance that his sister and Haitang, the two people he feared the most, were coming, so he came out ahead of time to buy gifts in the antique shop. He had to make these two feel happy. yes. He just looked at it for a long time, and even asked the store owner to take all the stored goods to see, but he still couldn't find anything satisfactory, which made him feel a little unhappy.
Behind him were those Northern Qi master bodyguards who wore scimitars at their waists. Although the Fan brothers knew that this must be the surveillance crowd of the Northern Qi royal family, Fan Sizhe was as bold as Fan Xian, and he still used it casually like this. Changed hands.
There are other people in the store looking at the goods. From the clothes of those people, it can be seen that they are either rich or expensive. This antique store is very famous, and the goods sold are also very expensive, so those who dare to come in and pick things are all The big shots in Northern Qi were either wealthy businessmen or dignitaries.
These people didn't know Fan Sizhe, but seeing him with four expert guards, they secretly guessed that this young man must be a son of a family who didn't like to show off.
At this moment, the shop owner came in with a wooden plate covered with a red cloth, leaned close to Fan Sizhe and said, "My lord, if you want to be a couple, that's all."
Fan Sizhe picked up a corner of the red cloth and saw a pair of Kodama lions on the plate. The carvings were superb, the lions had tiger heads and tiger brains, and they were so cute. He couldn't help laughing, and wanted to give this pair to his sister and Haitang. It really fits the occasion, and it also means to vent my anger on myself.
"That's it." He waved his hand.
Unfortunately, the dignitaries nearby also fell in love with the pair of jade lions, and begged Fan Sizhe to give way. A rich man was even willing to give a red envelope to show his sincerity. In a big place like Shangjing or Dongyi City in Kyoto, there are usually not many scenes of taking advantage of the goods. After all, everyone in the field is either rich or expensive, and no one knows who will be offended.
In Shangjing, Fan Sizhe had always kept a low profile, and Nanqing's sea arrest document still had his name on it, so apart from Jin Yiwei, Qing Dynasty royal family and related officials, few people knew his true identity. If it had been in the past, Fan Sizhe might have agreed to such a gentle request like this rich son, but today he really liked the pair of jade lions, so he hesitated and didn't speak.
With this hesitation, the mood of those dignitaries became quite unhappy, thinking that they had given enough face to themselves, if it hadn’t been for Lord Hou being invited to an extremely important party and leaving the purchase of gifts to the young master, These people really need this pair of precious jade lions as a gift, why would they want to talk to this stranger.
At this moment, those people separated, and a son of a rich man who was about twelve or thirteen years old came out, pointed at Fan Sizhe's nose and cursed: "In Shangjing, no one dares to fight with me!"
Fan Sizhe frowned. If it was the past, he would have greeted him with a fist, but as he got older, his mind became much more stable, and he asked, "Your Excellency?"
Someone kindly reminded him: "This is the young master of Chang'an Hou's family."
The Marquis of Chang'an and Marquis of Changning are brothers of the Empress Dowager of the Northern Qi Dynasty. This status is indeed noble enough, but after Fan Sizhe was slightly startled, he laughed abominably.
"Your father is going to give a gift tonight, right?" No matter how much Fan Sizhe improved, he was a lawless guy back then. Gritting his teeth, he stared fiercely into the child's eyes and said, "You little brat!"
As soon as this remark came out, the people on the opposite side gathered around, and the crowd was furious, as if they were about to make a move.
Fan Sizhe sneered, and led the four machete guards out of the antique shop.
On the carriage outside the store, a scimitar guard had a strange look in his eyes and asked Fan Sizhe, "Boss, do you know that young master?"
Fan Sizhe spat and scolded: "You little bastard, my elder brother broke his hand back then, and he didn't make any progress at all... If you dare to provoke me again, be careful that I will break his other hand!"
In the antique shop, everyone also looked at each other in blank dismay, thinking that the guy before was so brave, he dared to call Mr. Chang'an Hou's family an idiot in front of his face!
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Gossip less, the young master picked up the gift, suppressed his anger, and went back to the mansion happily. He followed his father to the Baoyuelou Branch, which was newly opened in Shangjing City less than April, and prepared to participate in this extremely important gathering.
However, when he entered the building, sat next to his father, and looked at the first fat man who was chatting and laughing with his cousin, he was suddenly dumbfounded.
His cousin is Wei Hua, and he is the most outstanding young man in the entire Wei family. Now he is highly appreciated by His Majesty, and he holds the important position of Commander of Jinyiwei Town Fusi. authority.
However, such a powerful person was chatting and laughing with that fat young man at this time, as if he had been friends for many years, and there seemed to be a faint vigilance in his eyebrows and eyes.
The young master of Chang'an Hou's family watched this scene obsessively, wondering who the fat brother who scolded him for being a little fart earlier was... who the hell is it
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When Fan Sizhe was talking to Wei Hua, Kong'er glanced at the table out of the corner of his eye, and found that Marquis Chang'an had brought his son, who was not good enough, and wondered why the old man gave birth to such a small son at such an old age. Don't you wear a hat... He slandered, smiled at Marquis Chang'an, and said hello.
Today's banquet was initiated by him, no outsiders were invited, all members of the Northern Qi royal family and state relatives, the purpose is very simple, the news from the Southern Dynasty is clear, Li Yunrui has collapsed, and it seems that there is no one in Qing who can threaten his brother anymore People, then I must seize this opportunity and expand the scope of the entire business.
And doing business with Beiqi is actually doing business with the family of the emperor of Beiqi, so he invited everyone from the Wei family, and at the same time invited Haitang and his sister to help him press the table.
What is Fan Sizhe afraid of? All the low-priced goods in the south are in his hands, and Xia Mingji handed over the products of the inner warehouse to him continuously. If the Wei family wants to make a fortune, they have to rely on him.
He smiled and looked at the young master of Chang'an Hou's family whose complexion had changed a bit, blinked his eyes, and the meaning was very clear, where is my pair of jade lions