Before Huo Luo arrived, it was rumored in the capital that Bei Rong's team was very powerful this time. When Huo Luo entered the city, the people knew that what he said was true.
Different from the hundreds of envoys last time, Huo Luo brought 2,000 people this time. They were all young and tough Beirong people. They all wore the same Beirong hairstyle and breeches, and they all rode tall and strong horses. When entering the city, Huo Luo led the way, the Beirong people lined up neatly, the sound of horseshoes hitting the windows was like a rainstorm, the knights had unfriendly faces, and the onlookers dared not approach.
Huo Luo intentionally looked at the window where he had seen several young men mocking him the last time he came to Beijing, this time there were only two people standing by the window, one was one of the young men he had seen, and the other was once opened in the hall. The prince who gave him a strong bow.
Satisfied to see that neither of these two people smiled, Huo Luo twitched the corners of his mouth at them, revealing a contemptuous smile. How many times he has fought in northern Xinjiang in the past two years! These two Han people who live in this beautiful town, even if they can draw a strong bow, how can they be his opponents! He raised his chin slightly, looked ahead, and walked away with high spirits.
The third prince's cheeks were tense, and he watched the Beirong team pass by before gnashing his teeth: "The Beirong is so rampant! Entering my capital is like a military parade!"
With worry on his face, Shen Zhuo clasped his hand on the window sill and said, "Indeed, in these years, Tugu Khan has dominated northern Xinjiang and trained thousands of brave fighters."
The third prince said angrily: "However, our court has been reducing military expenditures! The prince has suggested many times, saying that in the current famine year, we need to save money for disaster relief, and the father is also worried about civil unrest among the victims, so he adopted the prince's recommendation. But look! The Northern Army is strong, if we don't use the army, there will be foreign troubles!"
Shen Zhuo nodded, but said helplessly, "Don't say you don't care about court affairs now, even if you ask for military expenses for the Shen family army, what effect will it have?"
The third prince said: "Those people must say that I am partial to Zhen Beihou, and I am suspected of forming a clique! But if the military expenditure is not increased and the Shen family army is supplemented, once the Bei Rong attack, I will be in danger!" He was so angry that he punched the window sill , rattling the open windows.
Shen Zhuo knew that if the third prince really made a suggestion, it might be counterproductive, and the prince would be even more of a stumbling block to the Shen family's army. But if the third prince said that if there was a war in the future, the third prince would be recognized by the people again, so he didn't stop the third prince.
The prince went to meet Huo Luo again this time, seeing with his own eyes the majesty of the Beirong soldiers led by Huo Luo, he felt a sense of relief: Such iron cavalry would definitely defeat the Shen family army! He felt that there was hope in the future, and he hated those who offended him now even more. He returned to the East Palace and told his staff: "You can go get food now, grab all the food from the Jiang family, don't leave any surplus food for them! The food is placed outside the capital, and when Huo Luo leaves, give it to him along the way."
An aide hurriedly told the prince: "Don't worry, the prince, we have already prepared it. We will do it now."
Another staff member asked: "His Royal Highness should also be careful of the fourth prince's attack. If he knows the news, will he appeal to the emperor?"
The prince smiled contemptuously: "That cripple! What's the use of him suing? You guys have to be careful, don't leave any excuses. What he says is nothing, does he mean what he says?"
Everyone unanimously praised His Royal Highness the crown prince for his wisdom, and someone said: "It is the day when the emperor really finds out that it can be said that he added makeup for the fourth princess."
The crown prince nodded: "Father also said that giving Beirong a biological daughter is a way to look up to them, even for the sake of the four princesses, we shouldn't pursue it too much."
One person said with emotion: "When I saw Huo Luo's guard of honor that day, those Bei Rong soldiers were very strong. Let them guard the food, so you don't have to worry about those bandits."
The prince remembered the last time the food was robbed, frowned slightly and said: "Did you find out anything later?"
The staff shook his head and said, "No, there are no clues."
The prince pondered: "Why does this palace feel that it is not that simple..."
An aide asked in a low voice, "Who is your Highness suspecting?"
The prince sneered: "Who else? In the past, I suspected that it was the residence of the Marquis of Zhenbei. Now we should add the residence of the Marquis of Pingyuan. The others, Ye Zhongshu and others are all civil servants. How can they collude with bandits?"
The room was quiet for a while, and a person whispered: "We can try playing hard to get."
The prince said contemptuously: "Don't make any 'tricks', just say something!" Last time, any plan that was already done did not succeed.
The man smiled awkwardly, and hurriedly said: "We can let someone tell the people over there that there is food in Huoluo. If they want to rob, they will definitely pretend to be bandits again..."
He hurriedly said: "Ah! Huo Luo's soldiers are so strong, to rob them, isn't it courting death?"
The prince thought for a while, nodded slowly, and asked: "How do you reveal this? Don't let passers-by know, don't let the emperor know. It's best to speak alone, out of one person's mouth, and into one person's ear. "
Everyone thought for a while, and one person said: "There is an excellent candidate."
Everyone looked at that person, and the person said: "Do you all remember Xu Chundao who was not eliminated during the winter hunting?"
One person said: "Oh, at that time, it was the Second Young Master Shen who saved his life."
The prince said: "I asked you to keep an eye on him, don't let that side come to instigate rebellion, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
The man hurriedly said: "I have not forgotten. He probably knew His Highness's intentions. At first, he was scared to death, and he drank alcohol every day to relieve his worries. Later, he recovered. He didn't dare to leave, and he didn't dare to say much anymore. , just talk about irrelevant things."
The prince nodded: "Let him go privately to thank Second Young Master Shen, and then, out of righteous indignation, reveal the news."
"Okay, what a clever plan!" The man praised repeatedly.
The crown prince frowned: "This palace said, don't 'trick'!"
"Okay, don't mention it." The man said fearfully.
The next day, the prince's aides approached Xu Chundao, fearing that there would be too many people, so they didn't discuss it at the place where they were working, so they decided to go to his home to talk about something at night.
When it got dark, a staff member sneaked into Xu Chundao's rented courtyard. Xu Chundao's family is not in Beijing. He lives with two servants, and his home is very quiet.
After dismissing the servants, Xu Chundao and the prince's staff had a private conversation for an hour in the innermost bedroom of the courtyard. Then, the prince's staff left quietly under the cover of night, thinking that everything was done perfectly.
Xu Chundao's neighbors hold money every month for this kind of thing. Although they can't listen to the wall, they can remember when the prince's staff came and left. People say that walls have ears, but doors have eyes, and that's what they mean.
The next day, people from Pingyuanhou's Mansion were waiting for Shen Zhuo outside Zhenbeihou's Mansion. As soon as Shen Zhuo came out on horseback, several beggars surrounded him. It is not surprising that beggars are everywhere in the capital now. While tugging, a note was stuffed into Shen Zhuo's boot.
Shen Zhuo strolled to Guanyi Pavilion habitually, and just as he got off his horse, he saw Xu Chundao walking towards him from a distance.
Shen Zhuo had followed Xu Chundao in the past, but at this time he pretended not to know him at all, and went into the Guanqi Pavilion as usual, greeted the long-winded guy, and glanced at the empty hall with his eyes raised from the ceiling, it was a pity that no one was playing chess .
Xu Chundao walked near Shen Zhuo and called out in a low voice, "Master Shen."
Shen Zhuo pretended to be taken aback, and asked in surprise, "Who is your gentleman?"
Xu Chundao didn't dare to look directly at Shen Zhuo, and whispered: "That year in Dongshou, I was at the prince's banquet, and Second Master Shen saved my life."
Shen Zhuo hurriedly pretended to recognize it and said, "Oh, yes... yes..."
Xu Chundao said: "My surname is Xu Chundao, and my character is straight."
Shen Zhuo said in a steady tone: "I met Mr. Xu."
Xu Chundao invited: "My lord, please follow me to the side hall, I have something important to tell you."
Shen Zhuo showed hesitation on his face, and said in a low voice: "Well, Xu Xianggong is a man under the crown prince's shadow. If he plays chess with me...it's not good?"
Xu Chundao seemed to be struggling with himself for a long time, and said firmly: "Although I eat the crown prince's salary, I can't violate the righteousness! There are some things that I can't vomit! I must discuss them with the young master."
Shen Zhuo thought for a moment, then said: "Then Mr. Xu will go first, I'll go clean the room, and I'll come here. It won't attract attention like this."
Xu Chundao said hastily, "Okay, I'll wait for you in Jiawu over there."
Shen Zhuo agreed, and went to the cleaning room to take out the note from his boots and read it, a sneer flashed in his eyes: Xu Chundao's movements are fast, if Ping Yuanhou is a step slower, he can only judge by guesswork Xu Chundao's original intention.
Shen Zhuo came to the Jiawu hall with a smile, opened the door and went in, Xu Chundao got up nervously, Shen Zhuo hurriedly said: "Xu Xianggong, please sit down, don't want to see outside."
Although Shen Zhuo didn't have the amiable smile of Shen Jian, but he made jokes all the year round, with a relaxing sense of randomness. Xu Chundao sat down with sweat on his forehead.
Shen Zhuo said: "Please, Mr. Xu, don't hesitate to enlighten me."
Xu Chundao swallowed, not daring to look at Shen Zhuo, and said in a low voice, "I heard... I heard..." He couldn't make a sentence for a while.
There was a moment of pity in Shen Zhuo's eyes, and he said: "If Mr. Xu has something hard to say, don't force it."
Xu Chundao looked up at Shen Zhuo for a moment, then lowered his eyes immediately, and said in a low voice: "The prince... intends... to give Huo Luo grain and let him transport it to Beirong."
Shen Zhuo asked in surprise: "Why did His Highness the Crown Prince do this?"
Xu Chundao replied: "Probably... to add makeup to the fourth princess."
Shen Zhuo nodded and said: "Food is scarce and expensive nowadays, this dowry is really hard to buy, it seems that His Royal Highness the Prince loves the Fourth Princess very much."
Xu Chundao looked at Shen Zhuo in surprise, Shen Zhuo looked at Xu Chundao with a smile, Xu Chundao approached Shen Zhuo and said, "Master Shen! If the Bei Rong gets grain and grain, it will be very disadvantageous for the Shen family army."
Shen Zhuo gave a sudden oh, frowned slightly, and asked Xu Chun in a low voice: "What does Mr. Xu want me to do?"
Xu Chundao said sternly: "I am deeply grateful for the life-saving grace of Mr. Shen, so I came to report to the Zhenbei Hou Mansion. Third Mr. Shen, don't doubt me. What I said today is absolutely true. If you don't believe it, Mr. Shen can send you a copy in a few days." If people go to inquire, the crown prince will raise food and grain, and when Huo Luo leaves, he will be delivered to him outside the city, and will be sent to Beirong by his welcoming team."
Only then did Shen Zhuo frowned slightly: "The prince's doing this is considered bold, wouldn't it be the emperor's will?"
Xu Chundao quickly shook his head and said, "How could it be?! This is the prince's private help to the fourth princess. He wants Huo Luo to treat the fourth princess well for the sake of the food! Naturally, the emperor will not let Huo Luo take the food away. It is a disaster year, and there is not enough food!"
Shen Zhuo sighed and said, "How could the prince do such a thing that is not good for my dynasty!"
Xu Chundao followed with a sigh: "It's also brother and sister who are deeply in love, and it's hard to let go!"
This is to leave an excuse for the prince, Shen Zhuo suppressed his urge to speak badly, and clasped his fists to Xu Chundao and said, "Thank you, Mr. Xu, for telling me."
Xu Chundao also hurriedly saluted, and said to Shen Zhuo: "Where is it, if there is anything you need to help in the future, third son Shen just ask."
Shen Zhuo nodded with a smile, the two said goodbye, and Shen Zhuo left Guanyi Pavilion. He went back to the mansion, just thinking about how to meet Shen Wen alone, when Yang Shi asked someone to call him, saying that he would go to Pingyuanhou's Mansion at night, and let Li Shi take a good look at him.
Shen Zhuo knew that Mrs. Li had seen him many times, guessed that Marquis Pingyuan wanted to see him this time, so he hurriedly changed his clothes and followed Mrs. Yang to Pingyuanhou's mansion.
Shen Zhuo guessed right, it was indeed Marquis Ping Yuan who was looking for him.
Eunuch Gu's injury has almost healed, and he began to teach martial arts to Zhang Yunzhao. Zhang Yunzhao has been sick and weak since he was a child, and it was too late to learn martial arts. He said that learning from a teacher is just to strengthen his body, and Eunuch Gu also knew that Ping Yuanhou made such arrangements to take care of himself, fearing that he would be lonely here.
When Zhang Yunzhao went back that day, he told Marquis Pingyuan how he and Young Master Shen knelt down to worship his teacher. Marquis Ping Yuan didn't see Young Master Shen, but Mrs. Li said that the child was dark and strong, a child who was less than six years old. As tall and short as his ten-year-old son, Ping Yuanhou knew that Eunuch Gu liked the physique of the other child, and it was that child he really wanted to teach.
Marquis Pingyuan scolded a few times in a low voice, "little bastard", hating that Marquis Zhenbei is not here, not to mention that his daughter wants to marry his son, but his little bastard still wants to learn art from the person he hid! Stupid people are really lucky!
The two families were discussing their marriage, so the Pingyuanhou asked Li to invite Shen Zhuo to the Pingyuanhou's mansion under the excuse that he wanted to see his son-in-law, and wanted to tell Shen Zhuo the news.
Ping Yuanhou looked at Shen Zhuo with dissatisfaction. Although this guy has bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and a pretty handsome face, he is much worse than when he was young!
He twirled the jade ball in his hand and said condescendingly: "There is someone in the mansion who wants to teach your younger brother how to practice martial arts."
As soon as Shen Zhuo heard it, he guessed that it was the eunuch assassin hidden in Pingyuanhou's mansion. This is a good thing, but how can we let them meet? He nodded and said, "Thank you, Lord Hou, I'll go back and discuss with someone to find a place."
Marquis Pingyuan became a little interested: "What's the plan for that person recently? I heard from my people that yesterday a staff member close to the crown prince went to find the Xu Chundao you asked to watch, and Xu Chundao met you today. "
Shen Zhuo knew that Zhang Yunming had arranged the follow-up people. If Zhang Yunming was not around, they would naturally report to Pingyuanhou, so he told Pingyuanhou: "Xu Chundao told me that the prince will send food to Huo Luo in order to add makeup to the fourth princess. Huo Luo brought food back to Beirong."
Marquis Pingyuan rattled the jade ball in his hand, frowned and scolded: "How can that be done?! How can we feed the wolf cubs? The food must never reach Beirong! There are two thousand people in Huo Luo's group, and it is not easy to rob him of his food and grass. , Don’t think about the undead like last time. What does the man in your mansion want to do? Huo Luo will stay here for more than a month, we need to prepare early!”
Shen Zhuo said in a low voice: "This matter has been arranged, please don't worry, Lord Hou, the food will definitely not reach Beirong!"
Ping Yuanhou said in disbelief: "This is not a joke! Don't be afraid of death! The man in your mansion is too restrained. You tell him that when I was young, I single-handedly singled out hundreds of enemy soldiers. Those who followed me None of them are fearful of death! If you have something to say, we can definitely do it!"
Shen Zhuo hurriedly said: "Thank you, Lord Hou, this matter has really been arranged..." After briefly explaining the situation, Marquis Pingyuan laughed: "That person is really cute!" Thinking of Shen Zhuo's direct contact with that person, After Zhang Yunming left, Shen Zhuo came forward to mediate the confidential matters, so Shen Zhuo must have caught the eye of that person, and he immediately looked at Shen Zhuo much more pleasingly.
Shen Zhuo returned to the mansion with the news of Marquis Pingyuan, and wanted to discuss with Shen Wen. The next day, he ran into Su Wanniang by chance, and then set a time to meet at Zangshu Pavilion.
Ever since Shen Wen knew that the fifth princess had become a monk, she felt that the world was impermanent—she no longer knew how many of the things she did hit the mark, and how many of them were superfluous.
According to this situation, wouldn't he have married the fifth princess without such a meal? But don't beat him, the prince let him know that he doesn't want to marry the fourth princess, he always wants to marry someone, maybe he will have a share too.
When thinking of Da Huo Luo, she would think of that bastard Zhang Yunzheng... Well, without mentioning Huo Luo, she would always think of him. She guessed that he must be busy making arrows and crossbows in the south now, and she wrote some formulas for smelting alloys at that time, I don't know if he can make them...
After meeting Shen Zhuo and hearing what Shen Zhuo said that Eunuch Gu would teach his fourth brother martial arts, Shen Wen thought of Zhang Yunming's small courtyard. She and Shen Zhuo agreed to meet outside the mansion at night, and took Shen Zhuo to the courtyard at night.
Shen Zhuo came here the first time, followed Shen Wen through the wall, saw Shen Wen pushed open the unlocked door, went to light the lamp, and asked repeatedly in surprise: "Whose place is this? How do you know where it is?" ?”
Shen Wen said: "Master Zhang bought it for him... his distant brother. I used to draw pictures here."
Shen Zhuo asked sensitively: "Are you here to draw pictures? Do they know? Did they come or not?"
Shen Wen blinked: "Sometimes they come to discuss things."
Shen Zhuo became angry: "Sister! You are a single woman, how can you see them alone?! At least I must be by your side!"
Shen Wen lowered the corner of his mouth: "Your qinggong is too slow!"
Shen Zhuo felt deeply ignored, and said fiercely: "Then I have to come too! That distant brother of the Zhang family, I don't like him!"
Shen Wen laughed all of a sudden, and Shen Zhuo stared: "What are you laughing at?! He looks like a stunned young man with a bad temper!"
If Shen Zhuo knew the depression and anger he made Zhang Yunming feel at the beginning, and now he has experienced it, maybe he would believe that there is a thing of retribution in this world. Now he is full of thoughts about seeing that guy in the future, how to find fault with him, and teach him a lesson! He completely forgot how Zhang Yunming beat him when he was outside the city.
Shen Wen smiled: "Brother, that child is sincere and innocent, so you don't have to worry."
In this world, it is easy for wives and concubines to stay in groups, but it is difficult to stay in one place. It's easy to be muddled, but hard to be serious. It is easy to be smooth and smooth, but difficult to be honest and innocent. Although Zhang Yunzheng quarreled fiercely with him, he was straightforward and honest, without any evil intentions.
Shen Zhuo was upset: "What is that child?! How old are you?! Don't say good things for him!"
Shen Wen squinted his eyes: "I won the marriage for you in Pingyuanhoufu, and you didn't even thank me!"
Shen Zhuo was taken aback: "Why did you fight for it? Didn't Mother discuss it with Mrs. Li?"
Shen Wen giggled: "If I hadn't told Mrs. Li that the fifth princess heard that the emperor was going to choose a concubine, and that Zhang's elder sister might be elected to the palace, why would Mrs. Li be so eager to get married to our mansion?"
Shen Zhuo looked at Shen Wen dumbfounded: "You...you..."
Shen Wen raised his chin proudly: "You can say thank you."
Shen Zhuo gritted his teeth: "When you were young, why didn't I bully you a few times?!"
Shen Wen's smiling eyes curved: "Brother, don't think about those useless things! How about taking a look at this place?"
Shen Zhuo had to admit that the little girl he always thought was sweet and soft was actually a hidden beauty snake, and he really couldn't fight it.
Shen Zhuo looked at the room, nodded and said, "The place is okay, but how can I bring my fourth brother here?"
Shen Wen spread his hands: "Of course let him spend the night with you, and then carry him back!"
Shen Zhuo shouted: "What are you kidding?!"
Shen Wen was surprised: "Didn't you just say that you should come with me? I said you are not good at lightness kung fu and you are still not convinced. Prove it to me now!"
Shen Zhuo raised his eyebrows: "What does this have to do with Qinggong?! You haven't hugged that fat black man recently, have you? He should be ninety-eight if he doesn't have a hundred catties! Carrying him so far, and going back and forth, I can't help it." Tired of vomiting blood?!"
Shen Wen showed no sympathy: "Why?! Weight-bearing exercises are good for your bones. You can carry him more now, and you won't hunch back when you get old."
Shen Zhuo's face was full of lines: "What nonsense are you talking about? I hunched my back after two or three times, and I have to wait until I get old?!"
Shen Wen ignored Shen Zhuo's protest, and said: "Don't be so pessimistic, it won't be so fast, it should be at least ten times or eight times?" Before Shen Zhuo protested, Shen Wen said: "That's it. Come on, go back to sleep! I'll walk slowly so you can catch up."
Shen Zhuo said angrily, "I'm still your elder brother! Third brother! Remember?! Respect me!"
Shen Wen nodded obediently: "I respect you, third brother who runs slowly, let's go quickly! Otherwise, at your speed, we won't be able to go back before dawn."
Shen Zhuo stomped his feet angrily, and Shen Wen had already ran out with a smile.
The next day, Shen Zhuo made an arrangement to Pingyuanhou on the pretext of giving gifts to Pingyuanhou's mansion. Then when he returned home, he told Yang that he wanted to enlighten Shen Qiang in martial arts, and let Shen Qiang spend more time with him.
When the appointed day came, Shen Zhuo let Shen Qiang take a long nap, and when it got dark, he carried him out of the house, dodged in the street, and sometimes went over the wall to the courtyard.
During the day, Eunuch Gu, who had put on make-up, took a car from the Pingyuanhou Mansion, passed by this area, and recognized the way. At night, Eunuch Gu left Pingyuanhou's Mansion and arrived here.
Shen Qiang was usually asleep at this time, but now he was running behind Shen Zhuo's back, his eyes brightened with excitement.
When I arrived at the place, I went in and met Eunuch Gu, and found that it was someone I knew, so I grinned and yelled twice.
Eunuch Gu has only one full arm, and the other disappears from the elbow. He sat on the chair and nodded expressionlessly to Shen Qiang.
Shen Zhuo gave a salute, Eunuch Gu accepted it, and said to Shen Zhuo: "You are on the sidelines, show him." Shen Zhuo knew that when others were teaching martial arts, he was most afraid of being watched by others, but Eunuch Gu let himself watch from the sidelines. I am like a half-disciple, no wonder I have been worshiped by myself.
Eunuch Gu asked: "Have you practiced horse stance, stance, and top?"
Shen Zhuo said respectfully: "Yes, he started going to the martial arts field last year, and these are one or two hours a day."
Eunuch Gu said: "Then let's identify the acupuncture points. Give him pointers: Xuehai, Tanzhong, Jingming, Baihui, Zhangmen, Weilu, Taiyang, Yamen..." There are more than a dozen.
Shen Zhuo heard that these acupoints were vital points that could kill a person, so Shen Qiang pressed them on his body one by one. Shen Qiang giggled and twisted his body back and forth.
Eunuch Gu said: "You should memorize these acupoints by heart, do you understand?"
Shen Qiang yelled, Shen Zhuo nodded instead, Shen Qiang saw it and nodded too.
Eunuch Gu said: "You must remember Tanzhong first..." Shen Qiang immediately raised his hand and pointed at his chest, Eunuch Gu was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "A sea of blood?"
Shen Qiang pointed again, Eunuch Gu frowned slightly, and said all the acupuncture points just mentioned, Shen Qiang smirked and pointed one by one, Eunuch Gu looked at Shen Zhuo: "So you taught him?"
Shen Zhuo shook his head dumbfounded: "My mother said he is dumb, so there is no need to teach him anything."
This kid is a genius! Remember it once!
Eunuch Gu's mouth curled up slightly: "Since this is the case, let's learn the moves right away. Let's start with the simple one - how to hit the Tanzhong acupoint, I say, you demonstrate..."
Shen Zhuo moves according to Eunuch Gu's instructions. Sometimes Eunuch Gu will correct him, or make a movement with one of his arms, and let Shen Qiang imitate it. Shen Qiang learned very fast, and many movements were passed within a few times.
Shen Zhuo found that Eunuch Gu didn't teach any set of tactics, but targeted them: all the tricks were to attack the opponent's death spot from up, down, left, and right. There was no other consideration at all, and they belonged to killing people in one move. kind of.
An hour later, Eunuch Gu said: "That's all for tonight. What I teach, you can't demonstrate it in front of others, and you can't use it to compete with others. It can only be used in life-and-death struggles, understand?"
Shen Zhuo nodded, and Shen Qiang said twice.
When it was set to meet next time, Shen Zhuo saluted and said goodbye, Shen Qiang also bowed, and Eunuch Gu closed his eyes.
Shen Zhuo went out with Shen Qiang on his back. Run all the way back to the house. Shen Zhuo was so tired that he was out of breath, but when he got to the house, he found that Shen Qiang was asleep on his back.
From then on, every two or three days, Shen Zhuo went to learn art with Shen Qiang behind his back. Shen Qiang was only doing the basic movements on the martial arts field, but in the house, Shen Zhuo and Shen Qiang would review and practice the martial arts taught by Mr. Gu together.
After a period of time, Shen Zhuo felt that not only his kung fu was getting better, but also his legs were stronger than before. He carried Shen Qiang on his back every night, not to mention that his back was not bent, and he would not be so out of breath when he got home. It seemed that Shen Wen was right again .
On the third day after Huo Luo arrived, a group of masked bandits robbed two granaries of the fourth prince's niece, Jiang's family, and emptied more than 200,000 catties of grain overnight. The surrounding yamen understood at a glance: Jiang's family is the fourth prince's natal family, who would dare to attack? Apart from the emperor, there is only the prince. Naturally, the emperor does not need to do this, so it goes without saying who it will be. However, the prince recently proposed to streamline the bureaucracy, and the emperor adopted it. If anyone opposes him, tomorrow will be streamlined. Now there is a famine everywhere, and if there is no official position, it is possible to starve to death. So everyone pretended to be deaf and dumb, and when they filed the case, they only said that it was a rebellion caused by refugees, and there was no way to trace it.
The crown prince received the approval letter. The more than 200,000 catties robbed from the Jiang family and the nearly 100,000 catties of grain stored before, totaled around 300,000 catties, which should be enough.
The prince was relieved about this matter.
The Jiang family told Wumen, so they went to the fourth prince in the palace.
Ding Nei waited next to the fourth prince who was setting up the chess record, and whispered the matter.
The fourth prince held the chess piece in his hands and thought for a moment, then gently put down the chess piece. The 200,000 catties of grain were the rations for more than a hundred people of the Jiang family, including their servants. The prince didn't stay at all. He whispered, "Give me a pair of knee pads and let me eat, and you wear them too."
Waiter Ding did it right away, the fourth prince ate and drank, put on his knee pads, and walked out of his palace gate with Waiter Ding's arm. All the way to the outside of the palace where the emperor was discussing matters with the ministers, he knelt down beside the road.
Upon seeing this, Ding Neishi could only kneel beside the fourth prince.
Not long after, someone sent word in, saying that the Fourth Prince had knelt outside the hall.
The prince in the palace remained expressionless, his subordinates had already told him that the Jiang family had few servants, and they were vulnerable, and they did everything cleanly without leaving any evidence.
The emperor found it very annoying!
He is really busy right now! There was no rain in spring, so the situation is that there will be continuous drought in spring and summer, and the summer grain will be exhausted. Disasters are being reported everywhere, the stock of grain in the treasury has bottomed out, and the memorials are like a mountain... The crown prince suggested that the bureaucracy should be streamlined, which is what should be done, but no one dares to bear the name, and the crown prince actually mentioned it. mind. But this is related to the question of who decides to streamline. It should be the Ministry of Households, but the court officials said that several ministries should be negotiated together, and the debate was fierce... On top of this, Huo Luo came again, and he even played awe-inspiring in the capital! But now that he is going to marry the fourth princess, what else can he do? How to receive Huo Luo, how to show my majesty, how to proceed with the four princesses' wedding...
There are a lot of things, why did the Fourth Prince kneel down in front of all the ministers without caring about it? ! How ignorant!
The emperor felt that the fourth prince shouldn't have had anything fatal, so he motioned for someone to bring him to the palace, and was going to scold him in public!
The fourth prince supported Ding Neishi and walked in with a limp, because his walking was ugly, many court officials turned their eyes away and did not want to look at him.
The fourth prince knelt down again in front of the platform where the emperor was sitting, and the emperor asked impatiently, "It's the time for the court meeting, what's your priority?"
The prince's expression was very innocent, as long as the fourth prince had any accusations against him, he would say that the fourth prince was sociating dissension and creating public opinion for the third prince.
The fourth prince did not look sideways, stared straight at the emperor, and said clearly: "Father, please allow me to go to the imperial mausoleum to guard the mausoleum."
There was a silence in the hall, and then there was a buzz of discussion.
The emperor remembered that the fourth prince had mentioned this a long time ago, and thought he was complaining at that time, so he didn't let him go. Now in front of so many courtiers, he actually said it outright, how embarrassing the emperor! The emperor is not dead yet, what kind of mausoleum do you keep as a prince? !
The emperor's expression was worried, and a minister immediately said: "Your Highness the fourth prince's words are inappropriate. The emperor is in the prime of his life. As a son, he should fulfill his filial piety in front of the palace. How can he guard the imperial mausoleum?"
The fourth prince said: "I am disabled and can't do anything for my father. I only want to pray for my father's health and my mother and concubine's death in the imperial mausoleum."
After being reminded by the minister, he still didn't want to repent and insisted on his own opinion!
The emperor was already concerned about the lawsuit, but now he didn't want to get entangled with the fourth prince, so he said: "Go and kneel in front of the Taimiao, and reflect on your ancestors!"
After the fourth prince saluted, he limped and left the court hall, and he knelt down in front of the Taimiao. The third prince heard about it outside, and specially asked for an order to come into the palace to persuade him, but the fourth prince ignored him. The third prince was afraid that something would happen to him, so he didn't dare to leave the palace and return to the mansion, and sat beside him the whole time.
As soon as the fourth prince knelt down, he knelt until the next morning, without eating or drinking water, and passed out on the ground early. The third prince hurriedly helped him to lie down, and ran to the morning court by himself, pleading fiercely with the emperor, saying that the fourth prince was already weak, and if this continued, his life would be killed.
The emperor said in his heart that this is another thing that does not know what is good or bad! Fortunately, the fourth prince is a cripple, so he didn't expect anything from him. If he wants to kill himself like this, let him go!
The emperor finally ordered the fourth prince to guard the mausoleum. Although the decree was high-sounding and said something about the fourth prince's sincerity and filial piety, everyone could see that the fourth prince would live an isolated life from now on, never to be seen again. Thinking ahead.
Even though he made this decree, the emperor looked back after a while, and couldn't figure it out: What the hell, why did the fourth prince start to have convulsions? He said something to Eunuch Sun, asking someone to find out what happened to the fourth prince recently.
The third prince also didn't understand, well, why did the fourth prince have to guard some imperial tomb? Moreover, the fourth prince got the order and did not delay a day. He packed his luggage overnight and sent some of the things in the palace yard back to Jiang's house and some to him. Except for some daily clothes, he packed a carriage The books are ready to leave the palace in two days.
The third prince waited for the fourth prince at the gate of the palace, accompanied him all the way to the city gate, and wanted to continue to accompany him. The fourth prince insisted not to let him be sent outside the city, so he got out of the car and bid farewell to the third prince inside the city gate.
Thinking of sending off the fifth princess just a while ago, the third prince had tears in his eyes: "Fourth prince, why are you doing this? You are gone, how can I see Old Master Jian?"
The fourth prince also sighed softly, and took out a roll of paper from his arms: "I thought you didn't want to go to school anymore. If you still want to see him, here are some strategies I wrote for you. The homework assigned by the old master and the questions that I guess the old master Jane will ask. If you don’t want to learn, just use my leaving as an excuse and don’t study.” So as not to reveal the truth and make the old master Jane angry!
The third prince suddenly said: "Yeah, why should I go?!" He took the paper and said excitedly: "I don't want to write any more papers! I'll tell him next time I go to school."
The fourth prince saluted and bid farewell to the third prince. The third prince watched Ding Neishi help the fourth prince into the carriage, and then drove the carriage out of the city gate, followed by escorting sergeants. He stood sadly for a long time, feeling lonely and sad.
The third prince got on his horse and unknowingly rode to the gate of Zhenbei Hou's mansion, went in to ask to see Shen Zhuo, and dragged Shen Zhuo to fight in his mansion without asking Qing Hong. Fortunately, he didn't have to go back to the palace now, so he dragged Shen Zhuo not to let him go back to the mansion, and spent the night in his mansion.
The day after the fourth prince left the palace, Beirong's brigade finally settled down and everything was sorted out. Huo Luo led a small group of Beirong people into the palace to meet the emperor, and presented many special products of northern Xinjiang to the emperor, such as fur, rare gems, nanmu and some herbs that Han people liked, such as ginseng and the like. Most of the courtiers think that they are all foreign objects, nothing delicate and precious.
The wedding of the four princesses was held in the palace.
The prince told the fourth princess that Beirong was not educated, so don't bring any antique treasures there, the food he gave should be enough to satisfy the other party. The fourth princess didn't want to marry Huo Luo, let alone take the good things to Beirong, so she let the prince decide the dowry list. The prince looked at the generous dowry his mother left for the fourth princess, and remembering that his mother was dead, he once again felt hatred and anger towards Zhenbeihou Shen's family and the third prince. He left all the rare treasures in the palace in case the four princesses returned from Beirong in the future and still had a lot of property, and only some ordinary gold and silver were left in the dowry, which was just decent.
The dowry of the fourth princess was transported from the palace to the post house. Huo Luo held the red silk in his hand and pulled the fourth princess to the emperor, bowing down.
The fourth princess knelt side by side with Huo Luo, and when she smelled the mutton smell from Huo Luo's body, she vomited intermittently. From under the hijab, I saw that there was a black nail on Huo Luo's finger, the whole palm was thick, and the knuckles were bent, so I didn't like it even more. I tried to keep the distance between my body and Huo Luo, and I made up my mind not to let Huo Luo touch me. She was going to explain her purpose to Huo Luo, and asked him to help her prince brother. After the matter was over, the two broke up and she could come back.
Huo Luo felt that the fourth princess got off the palace chariot, so he avoided approaching him, and his body language clamored to alienate him. In the past two years, he has never forgotten the extremely beautiful face and contemptuous eyes of the "Fourth Princess". Whenever he thinks of it, his blood boils and he is full of hostility. Sometimes he has to kill people to relieve it.
Now that he was able to vent his anger immediately, Huo Luo calmed down instead, and patiently went through the etiquette step by step, waiting for the time to spend alone with the fourth princess at night.