Liu Zhao didn't even move his eyebrows, and faced King Ning's questioning directly.
"Don't father have any idea about that position?"
King Ning snorted coldly, "What if this king has ideas, so what if he doesn't? You boy, you have been motivating this king to fight with other brothers all day long, just expecting this king to become emperor so that you can be crowned prince."
Liu Zhao bowed his head slightly, his eyes were contemptuous, and he sneered, "If father becomes emperor, will you make me the crown prince?"
"Of course not." King Ning gave a negative answer without even thinking about it.
Liu Zhao said calmly: "Since that's the case, my father will go to the court tomorrow to listen to the government and fight with Uncle Zhao and Uncle Yan."
King Ning rolled his eyes and asked, "What did the old man tell you?"
This Liu Zhao lowered his head and smiled, his expression was cold, "Grandfather said, if you don't go to court tomorrow, someone will tie you up to go to court."
King Ning bared his teeth, "The old man just doesn't want to see me spend a few days of leisure, and I really don't die."
"Father, please speak carefully."
King Ning didn't care at all, "Whoever dares to spread a word of what this king said here, this king will destroy his nine clans."
In the hall, all the servants knelt down together, not daring to breathe.
Liu Zhao glanced at the servants who were kneeling on the ground, and took note of everyone's faces.
King Ning asked, "What else did the old man say?"
Liu Zhao said: "The imperial grandfather intends to appoint a prince to lead the household department to clear up the debts accumulated over the years."
After a pause, Liu Zhao said again: "As far as I know, my father has been fighting the autumn wind from the Ministry of Households a few years ago, and has never paid back the money. Calculated, I owe the Ministry of Households a full 300,000 taels."
King Ning gritted his teeth, "Does this king owe so much money to the household department?"
Liu Zhao nodded, "Father alone spent no less than 50,000 taels to reward the oiran."
King Ning stroked his beard, "This king is worthy of being a prodigal son. No matter how much money you have, you can lose it all. The old man asked people to clear up the debts of the household department. This is an errand that offends people. At this time, he asked the king to go to the court to listen to the government. Isn't it Do you want to name me and let me take charge of this matter?"
Liu Zhao nodded, "It's possible."
"No, no. The old man is digging a hole and trying to bury us all. Hmph, I will never be fooled."
Liu Zhao said expressionlessly: "I can't do it if I don't go. Otherwise, the Jinwu Guards should come to invite my father to go to the Imperial Prison for tea in the morning."
King Ning's expression changed, "The old man is too vicious, he has no love for us sons at all, and wants to force us to death.
He has been the emperor for decades, killed many clans, royal relatives, and courtiers, but still sat firmly in that position. No wonder the world said that old age is a thief. "
Liu Zhao frowned, "Father, please be careful when speaking."
King Ning snorted coldly, "Stop teaching me a lesson. Even in front of the old man, I dare to say that."
This is true.
Several times, King Ning cried loudly in front of the emperor, pointing fingers at Sang and cursing Huai.
Every time the emperor punished King Ning, there was a lot of thunder and little rain. He also said that it was rare to hear the truth, and that he owed King Ning in the past.
How the Son of Heaven owed King Ning is unknown to outsiders.
This seems to be a secret between the Son of Heaven and King Ning.
Concubine Shu knew a little bit, but she always kept her mouth shut, pretending she didn't know.
The emperor's indulgence made King Ning more and more lazy and courageous.
The emperor favors the newly acquired beauty, and only King Ning dares to say that the emperor is old and unrefined.
Relying on this tired and lazy image, King Ning gained a foothold in the court, fighting against King Zhao, King Yan, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
However, when King Ning went to court, he usually spent three days fishing and two days drying the net, and it seemed that his ambition was not in that position.
Of course, whether he really doesn't care about that position or pretends not to care about that position, only King Ning himself knows.
Liu Zhao was silent for a moment, then said: "Uncle Zhao owes no less than 200,000 taels to the household department, and Uncle Yan probably owes 400,000 taels. The East Palace should be the least, only a little over 100,000 taels."
King Ning laughed, and Shudong said, "Why does the East Palace owe the least money, because the prince doesn't know how to enjoy himself. He talks with a group of old men all day long, and he really thinks that he is a scholar. Until now, the king is not the king, and the minister is not the minister. His prince has come to an end.
The old man's patience has become worse and worse these years, as long as he provokes him a few more times, and someone blows the pillow, the prince will be completely finished. "
But Liu Zhao said: "Father, don't forget the eldest grandson of the emperor."
When King Ning heard the words "Emperor Changsun", his facial features all wrinkled together.
The eldest grandson of the emperor is the eldest son of the crown prince, the eldest son of the East Palace, and he has been extremely liked by the emperor since he was born.
Although in recent years, everyone tried their best to slander the emperor, which made the emperor alienate the emperor's eldest grandson. But it doesn't mean Donggong is powerless to fight back.
In case the Son of Heaven recalls the love between grandparents and grandchildren with the emperor's eldest grandson someday, maybe the East Palace can be brought back to life.
King Ning frowned and said: "The old man will never surpass the prince and make the emperor's eldest grandson his successor. This is a way to bring disaster. As long as the old man is not confused, he will not be able to do such a thing."
Liu Zhao dropped a heavy message, "This morning, the emperor's grandfather ordered the emperor's eldest grandson to go to the capital camp to practice."
"what?"
King Ning suddenly stood up from his seat, "Is the old man crazy? At this time, he sent the eldest grandson of the emperor to the Beijing camp to practice. What does he want to do? Do he want to kill us all? He wants the royal family to kill each other. Is the last one left? Immortal, you really shouldn’t have too high expectations for him, and I’m angry with you.”
King Ning walked up and down the hall, feeling extremely depressed. Scold the emperor from head to toe.
Liu Zhao continued: "Father, calm down. The emperor's eldest grandson is not the only one who went to the military camp to practice. The eldest son of Zhao Wangfu, the eldest son of Yanwangfu, the eldest sons of all uncles, including the son himself, all have to go to the military camp to practice."
Huh
King Ning stopped and stared at Liu Zhao, "Why didn't you say this earlier? It made me worry for nothing."
"Father speaks too quickly, and the son has no chance to speak."
Liu Zhao spoke nonsense seriously.
King Ning snorted coldly, "The old man sent you to the Beijing camp to practice. This is to inspect you. You should perform well and win for this king."
"My son obeyed. In addition, I think the twelfth lunar month of this year is very good for my son's wedding date."
King Ning stared at Liu Zhao, "Do you want to get married in the twelfth lunar month?"
Liu Zhao nodded.
By the end of the twelfth lunar month, Gu Jiu's dowry should have been fully prepared, and it's the right time to get married.
Ning Wang relaxed and sat on the chair, "Have you thought about it, do you really want to marry Gu Jiu?"
Liu Zhao nodded, "My son has already made up his mind, I will marry Gu Jiu as his wife."
King Ning tentatively asked, "Would you like me to personally select a few concubines for you? Don't worry, they are all from clean and good families."
Liu Zhao shook his head, "Thank you, father, for your love. My son doesn't need it. Why don't my father send the selected ones to the second, third, and fourth brothers. They probably won't refuse."
King Ning sneered, "Why, for the sake of Gu Jiu, you have to guard yourself like a jade? Are you ashamed?"
Liu Zhao was as calm as a mountain, and said calmly: "The son is not trying to protect himself like a jade for someone. The son just doesn't like too many women around him."
King Ning did not believe this.
"Sometimes the king wonders whether you are the real son of the king. Your temperament is neither like the king nor your mother and concubine, but a bit like the old man when he was young. In order to fight for the throne, the old man I can really stand anything."
Liu Zhao remained silent.
King Ning waved his hand with a bored expression on his face, "Forget it, you make up your own mind about your affairs, and I don't bother with you. I'll send a matchmaker to Gu's house tomorrow to fix the wedding date for you. You decide What day is it?"
Liu Zhao said coldly, "The sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month."
"The 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, I will remember it. You should tell your mother and concubine about this, or she will blame you again and keep everything from her."
"Thank you, father, for reminding me, my son will go to see his mother and concubine right away. Father, remember to get up early tomorrow to go to court, otherwise the Jin Wuwei will come to the door."
"I know, I know. The old man will not let me go, and you will bother me too."
Liu Zhao got up and left Bixi Pavilion, heading for Chunhe Hall.
When Princess Pei saw Liu Zhao, she snorted coldly and waved her hands, telling all the irrelevant people to retreat.
Then he said: "You still know that you came to see this princess. I thought you had forgotten all about this princess."
Liu Zhao sat down on the chair, "My concubine is joking, how can my son forget you."
Princess Pei snorted, "I'm not joking. Do the math yourself. How long has it been since you came to greet this princess? Your fourth brother is more filial than you. As long as he is in the mansion, he will come to pay his respects every day. Do your filial piety in front of this princess."
Liu Zhao smiled, "Fourth brother is so filial, why not keep him in the mansion in the future, and talk with mother and concubine to relieve boredom."
"What do you mean by that? Are you jealous of your fourth brother, or are you ruining his future? How can he be trapped in the inner house as a handsome man."
Princess Pei stared, very unhappy.
Liu Zhao said indifferently: "The concubine mother is willing to think about the fourth brother, knowing that a man cannot be trapped in the inner house. Why do you pick your son's nose and eyes? Is the son supposed to be trapped in the inner house all day just to fulfill his filial piety? I'm afraid The days of filial piety are only a few days away, and the Jinwu Guards are about to visit."
"You, you are simply presumptuous. Are you and your fourth brother the same thing?"
Princess Pei was furious and disliked Liu Zhao even more.
Liu Zhao is very indifferent, whether the mother concubine likes him or not, is it important to him at his age? It doesn't matter at all.
But he still said along the way: "The son is the eldest son, and he has a heavy burden on his shoulders. Please forgive me."
Princess Pei took a deep breath, and her anger subsided, "If this princess doesn't understand you, I would have sent someone to Wenshuyuan to look for you. Tell me, what's the matter with rushing over today?"
Liu Zhao said softly: "Starting tomorrow, my father will get up early every day to go to court."
The concubine Pei frowned, "You let this concubine control your father? Hmph, if I can control him, how can there be so many women in the mansion?"
Liu Zhao said: "The son knows the difficulty of the mother and concubine. What the son means is that the mother and concubine should clean up the inner courtyard and send out those who should be dismissed. Those who cannot be dismissed should be sent to the farm. July, April My younger brother is about to get married, and my concubine also doesn't like to give the guests a messy impression."
Princess Pei thought for a while, "Okay, tomorrow, this princess will draw up a list to send out all dishonest people. Is there anything else?"
Liu Zhao added: "My wedding date has already been set, the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month. My father will arrange for a matchmaker to come to Gu's mansion to formally set the wedding date."
The concubine Pei's face was displeased, and her eyes were picky, "That girl named Gu Jiu, is she really that good? Is that why you like it?"
Liu Zhao said in a deep voice: "Whether she is good or not, she is the son's wife. After she passes the door, please ask the concubine mother to look at her son's face and give her enough dignity."
"It's so rare that you would actually beg this princess for a woman. By the way, your marriage is settled, and this princess hasn't met Gu Jiu yet. What does she look like?"
Concubine Pei did not dislike Gu Jiu, nor did she absolutely like her. More curious, what kind of girl is it that the eldest son values so much.
Liu Zhao said, "She looks okay."
These words are really reluctant.
If Gu Jiu was here, he would definitely give Liu Zhao a glare. Do you dare to say that this girl looks okay? This girl is obviously very beautiful, okay? After identification, Liu Zhao's eyes were lame.
Princess Pei raised her eyebrows, "It's just okay?"
Liu Zhao hummed.
The princess Pei sneered, "It's all my fault, the princess, who didn't discipline you well when you were young. You can actually fall in love with a girl who looks good. You can see how nice it is to see Gu Jiu."
"It's good to see it with your own eyes before you can draw a conclusion. The concubine mother is too anxious."
Concubine Pei's face was stern, "I will post a post tomorrow to invite people to the mansion."
Liu Zhao nodded, "Before the big wedding, it is time for the concubine mother to see her."
Princess Pei was furious.
No matter what she said or the tone of her tone, Liu Zhao remained expressionless and unmoved.
It seemed that what she said was so boring that there was no way to make Liu Zhao's mood fluctuate.
Concubine Pei felt a deep sense of frustration, and her heart was full of anger.
She waved her hand and said: "I've finished talking, you hurry up, walk around, don't be an eyesore in front of this princess."
"Farewell, son."
Liu Zhao simply stood up and left.
Seeing Liu Zhao go so simply, Princess Pei became angry again.
This son, as always, was not close to her at all. The speech is also dry, without the slightest emotion.
Princess Pei was angry and helpless. She is taking this son, there is nothing she can do. It's really annoying.
The more this happened, the more she wanted to see Gu Jiu.
She wanted to see what kind of beauty she had to attract Liu Zhao's attention.
…
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, a hundred days passed by, and the capital, which had been silent for the entire spring, came back to life like a person recovering from a long sleep.
In the past few months, the brothel and flower shop, which had no guests, was full of guests again, and people entertained them every day.
The enthusiasm of the big family has been backlogged for a spring, and finally they have a chance to release it.
Every two days, there will be banquets.
Every household is looking for reasons to entertain guests, and there is a posture of releasing all the enthusiasm that has been accumulated for several months at once.
For several days, Mrs. Xie and Mrs. Zhang went out to eat and drink every day.
Gu Jiu followed him out the door twice, and then lost interest.
too tired!
Back and forth, all those people.
Today you treat guests, tomorrow I treat guests, saying similar auspicious words every day. After a few days like this, Gu Jiu felt bored in his heart.
She excused herself from being unwell, so she didn't go to the next few banquets.
But the other sisters are very interested.
Gu Zhen, Gu Yue, Gu Shan, Gu Lin, and Gu Jun never leave the house every day, and they must go out with them every time they have a banquet.
When Gu Yue went out, she was still feeling emotional, "It's a pity that the second sister is not in good health, and she feels uncomfortable after socializing for a few days. When she gets married to the palace and socializes all day long, what should I do? I'm afraid there will be half a month. The moon is lying on the bed."
Somehow these words got out, and even reached the Xiao family and the palace.
When Xiao Qin'er heard this, she became happy.
Gu Jiu's health is not good, so he can't host the feed.
In the future, she will be the young mistress in charge of the palace. Gu Jiu, stand aside.
On the palace side, Princess Pei frowned when she heard that Gu Jiu was in poor health.
"Didn't you say that your body has already recovered? Could it be that you have fallen ill again?"
The servant said: "I guess it looks fine on weekdays, but I just can't work hard."
Princess Pei snorted, "Why did the boss choose a sick girl as his wife, and how can he take responsibility? It's just a mess. Take this princess' name card and invite Gu Jiu to come and visit me."
"Your Majesty, it's not good to just invite Miss Gu alone. Why don't you take the opportunity to hold a banquet and invite everyone to make it lively. The mansion hasn't been lively for a long time."
Princess Pei nodded, "That makes sense. This princess also wants to take the opportunity to meet her mother-in-law. Bring the almanac, and this princess will personally choose an auspicious day and hold a flower viewing feast."
"Your Majesty is wise."