In a certain courtyard on the back mountain of Xiangguo Temple, bursts of piano sounds came out.
Liu Zhao was dressed in a toga with big sleeves, sitting on the ground like a gentleman from Guijie, playing the piano with both hands.
The sound of the piano is sometimes distant, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes crying like complaining, and sometimes holding a sword to the end of the world.
The servants bowed and waited beside them, not even daring to breathe.
Qian Fu walked in from the outside, hesitated for a while, but still didn't dare to disturb Liu Zhao's mood.
The sound of the piano stopped suddenly.
A qin string broke and bounced high, past Liu Zhao's face, almost scratching his cheek.
"Is it important, Your Highness?"
The servant Lin Shuping asked worriedly.
Liu Zhao put on a serious face, stretched out his hand, and his own Qingjun servant stepped forward to wipe and maintain his hands.
In the past, these things were done by beautiful maids.
Knowing that Gu Jiu is jealous, Qingjuan's servant will do all these close-up tasks.
People who didn't know saw it, and mistakenly thought that Liu Zhao had a habit of cutting off sleeves.
Liu Zhao looked at Qian Fu.
Qian Fu hurriedly bowed and said, "His Royal Highness, Li Shizhong has arrived."
There was hesitation on his face.
Liu Zhao asked, "What else is there?"
"Li Shizhong brought a woman over."
Liu Zhao sneered, "Master Li please come in."
"That woman?"
"Find another place to arrange."
"The old slave complies."
After a while, Li Shizhong was invited into the wing room and sat on the floor opposite Liu Zhao.
"I just heard His Highness's piano sound, it's really a natural sound. I don't know when I will be lucky enough to hear His Highness's piano sound again."
Liu Zhao wiped his hands lightly, and his servants moved the guqin down, and replaced it with tea and snacks.
"Master Li, please drink tea." Liu Zhao looked cold and did not answer the other party's words.
Li Shizhong picked up the teacup, blew it gently, and took a sip, the temperature of the tea was just right.
The fragrance of tea is long.
But at the moment, I am not in the mood to drink tea.
He put down the teacup, "Your Highness is really calm."
Liu Zhao smiled lightly, "Father has been enthroned for less than two years, so His Highness is naturally not in a hurry."
"But your brothers are very anxious." Li Shizhong looked at Liu Zhao with a half-smile.
Liu Zhao raised his eyebrows, "They are them, and I am me. If Mr. Li is optimistic about one of my brothers, he will go, why bother to make this trip."
Li Shizhong laughed.
After laughing, he said: "If someone else said these words, I would only think that the other party is arrogant and arrogant. But if it were you, Your Highness, you have the confidence. Last year you left Beijing for half a year in the name of calming the chaos. It is to drill the navy in the south.
Even a few confidant guards around you have stayed in the south. The official heard that the navy has gradually grown into a large scale and is sparing no effort to clean up the coastal scourges and attack the pirate Li Hailong. "
Liu Zhao asked coldly: "Master Li has worked so hard to come to see me, is it because of these old news? The first year of Wende is about to pass, you and I, why don't you talk about the second year of Wende."
"Your Highness is in such a hurry?"
"Master Li, isn't he in a hurry?"
Liu Zhao smiled contemptuously.
Li Shizhong held the teacup, "It seems that His Highness has already guessed the purpose of my visit."
Liu Zhao didn't deny it, "I know a thing or two."
Li Shizhong said: "I don't want to be an official. Someone in the south entrusts me with a relationship. I hope that the actions of the navy can be limited to the coast."
Liu Zhao laughed, and after laughing, he taunted: "Could it be that the pirate Li Hailong entrusted his relationship to Mr. Li? He has a way."
"The person who entrusted the relationship is not the pirate Li Hailong, but the governor of the Jiangnan Metropolitan Governor's Mansion."
Liu Zhao frowned slightly, "Is there any relationship between Governor Zhang?"
"Exactly. You don't need to give others face, but you have to give it to Chief Governor Zhang. Otherwise, His Royal Highness's navy will be unable to move an inch along the coast."
Liu Zhao sneered, "Are you threatening His Highness?"
Li Shizhong shook his head, "No way. I'm trying to build contacts for you."
Liu Zhao: Hehe!
"So His Highness would like to thank Mr. Li."
Li Shizhong didn't talk nonsense, and said bluntly: "Master Zhang is the guarantor, and ordered the maritime trade under the name of Madam to guarantee that three ships of goods can be transported every year. There is no lie."
Ever since Gu Jiu fell out with Zhou Jin, Gu Jiu's sea trade business has not been going well.
The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and the maritime merchants on the south side of the Yangtze River are all obedient and obedient.
What the prince, the prince's wife, is not as easy to say as the pirate Li Hailong on the sea.
Li Hailong said that if the ships of Four Seas Maritime Trade were not allowed to pass through, Gu Jiu's goods would not be able to leave the near sea.
Li Hailong is so arrogant.
Of course, Li Hailong is just the pseudonym of the pirate leader Zhou Jin.
Liu Zhao attacked Zhou Jin, and Zhou Jin in turn attacked Gu Jiu's business in Jiangnan.
Now that Governor Zhang came forward to mediate, it seemed like an opportunity.
Liu Zhao smiled and asked, "If His Highness disagrees, will Chief Governor Zhang want to impeach His Highness?"
Li Shizhong said: "Governor Zhang has been in Jiangnan for many years. In my opinion, His Majesty will not replace Governor Zhang within four or five years."
The implication is that if Liu Zhao does not agree to mediate, within four or five years, everyone will fight in chaos. The unlucky one may not be Chief Commander Zhang.
Just because Liu Zhao is a prince, there are some things courtiers can do, but he cannot.
What he did was a taboo.
For example, last year he secretly went to Jiangnan to train the navy.
Once this matter is exposed, Emperor Wende will have to give an explanation to the courtiers.
Because there was no clear order for Liu Zhao to go to the south of the Yangtze River to train the navy. It was a matter of military power, and his identity was the prince, so this matter was very taboo.
In many cases, the identity of the prince is not as convenient as the identity of the emperor's grandson.
The biggest difference is that the prince cannot wield military power, at least not explicitly.
In the past, Liu Zhao, as the grandson of the emperor, could still lead troops to fight.
Now, at best, he can only serve as a supervisor. The military power in his hands will not exceed a thousand people.
Liu Zhao shook his head slowly.
Li Shizhong frowned, "You disagree? This is a situation that hurts both sides."
Liu Zhao chuckled, "The conditions offered by the other party are not enough. They just want to limit the navy to the offshore area with just three cargoes. Are they treating His Highness as a beggar?"
Li Shizhong asked: "Then you make a condition, and I will fight for you."
Liu Zhao smiled, "Twenty ships."
Li Shizhong frowned, "Your Highness has too much appetite."
Liu Zhao smiled contemptuously, "Master Li can refuse."
"I don't care, the key is that the governor may not agree. If there are ten ships, I can fight for one or two for His Highness."
"Fifteen ships, this is the bottom line of my highness. Otherwise, my highness doesn't mind turning Jiangnan upside down. No matter what the result is, my highness will always be a prince, and I can turn around after a few years of silence. As for Zhang Dadudu, it may not be the same. Dudu."
Liu Zhao bluntly threatened, without the slightest politeness.
Li Shizhong was a little embarrassed.
Liu Zhao then said, "I won't make it difficult for Master Li. The concrete road from the capital to Luozhou, if Master Li is willing, His Highness can make the decision and give you a part of the shares."
Li Shizhong laughed, "Your Highness can be the master of Mrs. Zhao?"
Liu Zhao looked at him with a half-smile.
Li Shizhong waved his hands again and again, "Okay, okay, I think I said something wrong. I will try my best to mediate this matter, and please write to the navy army as soon as possible to restrict their actions."
"My Highness will not let Lord Li down, and the premise is that Lord Li will not let His Highness down either."
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I have always been trustworthy in my work."
"It's so good."
Liu Zhao picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Li Shizhong said: "Come here today, I have other important matters."
Liu Zhao was silent.
"Your Highness should already know that I have brought a woman."
Liu Zhao raised his eyebrows, waiting for Li Shizhong's next words.
Li Shizhong continued: "This person's identity is very sensitive, I have no ability to protect her, so I have to ask His Highness."
Liu Zhao laughed, "Why does His Highness help you protect a woman whose origin is unknown?"
"Because this is the fault of your Liu family."
Liu Zhao sneered.
"Whoever did the evil, who do you go to?"
"The perpetrator of iniquity is dead."
"When you die, you die. There's so much nonsense."
Li Shizhong looked at Liu Zhao strangely, "Your Highness is really not curious about the identity of this woman?"
Liu Zhao sneered, "Since Mr. Li mentioned the Liu family's crimes, I guess this person should be an illegitimate daughter of the royal family or something. For this matter, you should go to the Shaofu. It's useless to go to His Highness."
Li Shizhong shook his head, "This matter really can only be found with you. If you find the Shaofu, she will not survive."
"Lord Li is sympathetic to the beauty, why not just accept her and take her back to be a concubine to raise."
"Your Highness hurt me." Li Shizhong said bluntly.
Liu Zhao smiled indifferently, "Isn't Lord Li also harming His Highness?"
"How could I harm you?"
"You asked His Highness to protect her, how would you ask His Highness to explain to my wife?"
The corners of Li Shizhong's mouth twitched, "I didn't expect the rumors to be true."
snort!
"It is rumored that His Highness is afraid of summoning his wife. I have always thought it was nonsense, but now I know that there must be a reason for it."
Liu Zhao snorted again.
He asked rhetorically, "If you are an adult, you will be responsible for all the expenses in your family. Your wife will bear it alone. Are you afraid?"
Li Shizhong was tongue-tied, with an expression of disbelief, "Your Highness is so poor?"
Liu Zhao's temples twitched, his face was gloomy, and he remained silent.
Li Shizhong successfully angered Liu Zhao, but he burst out laughing.
"To see His Highness's true temperament, everything is worth it. Does Your Highness remember Jingsi Shitai of Ganye Temple, Su Guifei who was Zhongzong's favorite in his later years?" (For details, please refer to Chapter 473)
Liu Zhao frowned, "If your Highness remembers correctly, she burned herself to death."
"Exactly. She died, but her daughter survived."
Liu Zhao's heart was turbulent, but his face remained calm, "She has a daughter?"
"She does have a daughter who is eighteen years old. She is the late emperor's flesh and blood. You have to call her aunt."
"Nonsense!"
－－－－－Off Topic－－－－－
There is a third