Rule the Roost in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 41: Father-son deal

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Returning to the palace was something that made Li Hong feel uneasy. He was deeply afraid of being blamed by his mother, so he sneaked into the palace quietly early in the morning. Four maids and four eunuchs counted him as nine people when they went out. …Oh, there were ten people when we came back.

The Wude Palace seemed very quiet inside and outside. This was the effect Li Hong deliberately pursued. He had not yet figured out how to meet his mother.

Even so, Wu Mei learned the news of Li Hong's return to the palace immediately. The other maids and eunuchs in the palace seemed to have seen a ghost when they saw him. They all showed frightened expressions, and the same voice appeared in their hearts: "The little devil has returned to the palace!"

The news spread like wildfire to Wu Mei's ears. Naturally, Li Hong's punishment was not spared. No matter whether he acted coquettishly or begged for mercy in front of Wu Mei, he tried all kinds of methods, but he was still punished by Wu Mei. Mei, ordered to kneel under the small tree he planted for more than an hour.

Li Hong, who had not been seen for more than a month, had grown taller, lost weight, and became darker. He was much stronger than before leaving the palace.

When Wu Mei heard that Li Hong had brought someone back, she immediately got angry and pushed Li Hong on his lap and spanked her hard.

"I went to the palace at a young age, and when I came back, I brought one back with me to find a concubine for myself." Wu Mei scolded Li Hong mockingly.

In the end, Wu Mei was too lazy to mind his own business and let him take care of the arrangements. Li Hong had no proper way for a while, so he had to take her with him every day, as if he had another palace maid.

When Li Hong left, Wu Mei looked at the little figure and couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh: "Hey, the harem that has been peaceful for more than a month is about to be in a state of chaos again. I don't know who will suffer in the past few days. Lian Tie, pass on the order, Regardless of the harem maids or eunuchs, it is best not to approach the Wude Palace of the King in the past few days," Wu Mei said to Lian Tie as if to guard against thieves, causing several maids nearby to cover their mouths and snicker.

Bai Chun curled her lips in Wude Hall and mocked Li Hong for imprisoning herself in the harem. What she did was no different from transporting Tang craftsmen to Qiuci.

Li Hong lied on the couch and warned her sternly: "You are now a criminal in the Tang Dynasty, but I only keep you with me because of your identity. When the case in Dali Temple is concluded, you should go to prison." !”

After everything in Wude Hall was tidied up, the sky gradually darkened. Li Hong stood up from the bed carefully. It seemed that the queen mother had not spanked Li Xian much in the past month. She kept all the energy for herself, and her buttocks were covered again. Swelled.

Early in the morning, leaving Bai Chun at Wude Hall, Li Hong put on his small backpack and took Xia Zhi and Bai Lu to Li Zhi's Ganlu Hall. Normally, at this time, his father would be handling government affairs. If she is looking for him at this time, her mother will definitely not know.

The craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty held hostage by the Qiuci Kingdom made Li Hong, who was thinking about it on the way back to the palace, make a bold decision. In the next few years, most of the major wars in the Tang Dynasty will still take place in the west. Can he send people Get in touch with those craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty and train a group of regular spies and agents from them.

This was also the main reason why he was looking for Li Zhi. Yang Wu seemed to know that he was coming back. He stood at the door with his hands lowered and saluted him with a smile, and said, "Your Majesty has been waiting for you in the study early in the morning."

The small bulging backpack on Li Hong's back seemed invisible to Yang Wu. He didn't even dare to ask, let alone checking it. He knew the temper of King Dai clearly, and he would retaliate.

Before anyone could get close to the door of the study room of Ganlu Palace, Li Zhi's voice came from inside: "You kid, you still know how to go back to the palace. Do you know that if you don't return to the palace, your mother will demolish my Ganlu Palace?" flipped."

"My son, Li Hong, has met my father." Li Hong walked into Li Zhi's study with his head held high, and he didn't know which country's etiquette he was practicing.

Yang Wu on the side looked at it and shook his head. Such princes are really rare. Fortunately, he is the only one in the entire palace, otherwise the rules of the palace would really be messed up.

In comparison, King Lu Li Xian is much better than him in this aspect. He is always polite and well-educated. He always greets people in a polite manner. He has learned the royal appearance, demeanor and moral rules in a decent manner!

Li Zhi looked at Li Hong dotingly, rubbed his head and said, "Well, that's right. I haven't seen you for more than a month. I've grown taller and stronger. Why, do you have something to do with your father at this time?" How could Li Zhi not understand? , the little guy chose this time period to come to him just to avoid the surveillance of his mother.

"Father, I would like to discuss something with you." Li Hong said directly without being polite.

Li Zhi looked at him and frowned. The little guy had just returned to the palace and stayed there for a few days, acting like a good boy in front of his mother. Why was he thinking of ways to cause trouble as soon as he came back

Li Hong looked at Li Zhi's study. He didn't know when furniture such as chairs and tables had appeared in the palace. There were also beds, but it seemed that no one was used to sleeping on the bed yet, so the role of the bed had become It's dispensable, just like a decoration.

The Hu chair and Hu table were obviously accepted more quickly. At the moment, Li Zhi's study has these. It's just that the opening of the Hu chair is relatively large, and a soft futon is placed on the chair surface.

Li Zhi walked behind Hu's desk, and instead of sitting directly on it like the previous generation, he sat down on the Hu's chair.

This was the correct sitting posture when people in the Tang Dynasty first accepted tables and chairs, and it was later used in the Shosoin of Todaiji Temple in Japan. Today, there are still precious cultural relics such as Hu chairs and Hu beds that were passed down from the Tang Dynasty. The openings of the chairs are very large, mainly to facilitate the habitual sitting of the Tang people, so the furniture was made in this way.

Li Hong glanced at Li Zhi who was sitting on the chair strangely, then climbed onto another chair in front of Li Zhi's desk. His butt was still swollen after being beaten by Wu Mei, so he had to squat even more inelegantly. on the chair.

Li Zhi looked at his virtue and sighed helplessly. The only one who dared to be so unscrupulous in front of him was this little man in front of him.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Li Zhi asked.

Li Hong just squatted on the chair and told the story of the kidnapping of his palace maid and the events of Ci'en Temple, including the inability to redeem the Tang craftsmen. He also analyzed the stakes in detail. Finally, he told Li Zhi.

After taking a sip of boiled water that Yangwu prepared for him, he expressed his own thoughts, that is, he hoped that Li Zhi would allow Jingzhe, Cheetah, and the two eunuchs to go to Qiuci to get close to the Tang craftsmen and develop their influence on the Tang Dynasty. Useful intelligence officer.

After Li Zhi heard Li Hong's thoughts, he looked at him strangely, smacked his lips and said lightly: "Hong'er, I'm afraid this matter won't be easy to handle. My father really can't let Yang Wu send two more eunuchs." Okay, aren’t Jingzhe and Cheetah enough?”

"Not enough, because Cheetah and Jingzhe need your own people to monitor their every move, and from now on these people can only obey your orders." Li Hong also said bluntly.

To put it bluntly, if one thing goes wrong, there will be serious consequences, which is equivalent to establishing another Lijing Sect in the Western Regions. Whether his father can rest assured is another matter.

Li Zhi smiled when he heard Li Hong's frank words. He was originally trying to see if anyone else could give him advice. But now it seems that he is overthinking. This is definitely this little thing. own ideas.

It's okay to have someone else by himself, but two eunuchs were missing from Li Hong's side for no reason. If the queen asked about it, how should he, his father, explain? I'm afraid this is the real reason why the little thing is looking for me.

Li Zhi stroked the beard on his chin and murmured: "Hong'er, I'm afraid this is not feasible. Father really wants to fulfill your move, but..."

Li Hong took off the small backpack on his shoulder, took out twenty crystal cards intermittently, and then looked at Li Zhi.

Under the illumination of the light, the gleaming crystal plaque looks even more blurry, crystal clear like ice cubes in winter, shining with an exciting light.

"Oh, Hong'er, it's hard for your father to explain to your mother. You know, because when you leave the palace, your father will..." Li Zhi continued to drag on.

Li Zhi's implication is: This crystal card is a trade item for you to extend your vacation. It doesn't count. If you want your father to help you, you have to come up with something that interests him.

Li Hong squatted on the chair, listened to Li Zhi's overtones, put the small backpack between his legs, lowered his head and found a glass cover from inside. Under Li Zhi's fiery, bright and expectant eyes, he asked Yang Wu to put it on Get the candlestick from the table.

Then Li Hong took off the gauze lampshade on the candlestick, and the room suddenly became much brighter. Then Li Hong carefully put the glass lampshade made according to the palace candlestick on the candlestick. The size was right and it was perfect.

Not only was the room not dark, but because of the translucency of the glass lampshade, the room seemed to have a little more luster. The candlelight burned calmly in the lampshade, no longer swaying at all.

"How is it?" Li Hong raised his head and asked.

Li Zhizheng stretched his neck to look into his small backpack. When he saw Li Hong asking him, he immediately leaned back and said in embarrassment: "Hong'er, my father has to bear a lot of responsibility. This matter... ”

"Huh." Li Hong snorted dissatisfiedly, thinking that he didn't give enough. Fortunately, he was prepared.

He lowered his head and took out two bright, brand-new glass goblets from his backpack. Under the light, the walls of the cups reflected a faint light.

Li Hong had already prepared the Lanling wine, and signaled Yang Wu to open it, then poured half a cup into each of the two quilts. The amber Lanling wine swayed in the cup, and faint ripples penetrated the bright cup wall. Clearly.

"Let Father see what other treasures you have in this bag." Li Zhi became red-eyed. These are all rare treasures. After saying this, he reached out to grab Li Hong's backpack.

Li Hong had quick eyes and quick hands and hid the backpack behind him immediately.

Seeing that he couldn't grab it, Li Zhi leaned back on his chair and said lazily: "Hong'er, my father still needs to... still need to discuss this matter with your mother..."

Li Hong stood up from the chair, threw himself on the table and started to put the crystal plaque he had just placed into his backpack: "Forget it, I'd better ask my mother to go."

"No, no, no, no... Father agreed." Li Zhi hurriedly pressed Li Hong's little hand on the table and said with a smile.

Li Hong withdrew his little hand angrily and looked at Li Zhi with dissatisfaction on his angry face.

Li Zhi looked at the lampshade and asked, "Do you still have this thing? If it is placed on the palace lantern in the palace courtyard, wouldn't it be brighter?"

When Li Hong heard this, his heart immediately moved, hum, since you cheated me regardless of the feelings of father and son, then don't blame your son for cheating me.

"Yes, there are, but they are very expensive. There are also cups like this, but they are also very expensive." Li Hong pondered for a long time and said awkwardly.

"How many are there? My father wants them all. How much is it? My father will give them to you. You go and help my father buy them all." Li Zhi was overjoyed when he heard this.

"Then it depends on how much you want." Li Hong replied with his bright eyes rolling around.

"As much as you want."

"As much as you want!"

"How much is the lampshade? How much is the cup?" Li Zhi looked like a rich man at this moment.

"The lampshade... twenty taels of silver, the cup... thirty taels!" Li Hong gritted his back teeth and asked for prices!

"Okay! I promise you, because you have worked so hard! Yang Wu, please inform the Minister of Internal Affairs, and give Hong'er thirty taels for the lampshade, and forty taels for the cup!" The local tyrant waved his hand domineeringly. said.

"Deal!" Li Hong felt happy!

Originally, Jingzhe and Cheetah were still worrying about the cost of going to Qiuci to develop Tang craftsmen. But now it's fine, and it's all settled at once.

The two of them looked at each other with their own evil intentions and smiled triumphantly, feeling that they had taken advantage of each other.

Neither of them expected that the current harmonious and happy scene would happen many years later, when glass jewelry gradually ceased to be a luxury item and could be purchased in shops on Chang'an streets and alleys.

Li Zhi chased Li Hong with a stick and beat half of the palace. The whole palace was tortured by the father and son. Even Wu Mei chased after the two of them and tried to persuade them in person, but she still couldn't persuade Li Zhi, who was determined to teach the rebellious son a lesson.

(End of chapter)