After eating, Guo Shao returned to his residence behind the lobby for a nap. A wing room that was originally used as an office and temporary residence by officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty no longer felt like a bedroom, because pictures were hung everywhere on the walls, and one wall was covered with notes.
It was more comfortable than living in a tent, so Guo Shao sat down on a couch. After all, he was in an enemy country, and he was still wearing a fine chainmail vest, so he took it off himself. At this time, he touched the paper that he had stuffed into his pocket just now, and when he unfolded it, there were four sentences that were still so dazzling: The lewd talisman served three husbands, and the country was her wedding dress; the servants answered outside the door, and the snakes and wolves all forgot their gratitude.
A feeling of shame suddenly hit Guo Shao's heart. The most vicious curse in the world is not to make something out of nothing, but to misinterpret a fact; the truth is that things have never been different, but people's hearts are different. No wonder it is written in all documents in the future, and the final right of interpretation belongs to oneself.
He suddenly stretched out his hand and knocked the teacup on the table next to him to the ground, and the ceramic quilt broke into several pieces. There was no one around him at this time, and his face was no longer concealed, and it was livid and murderous. He crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and touched his sword.
Lu Chengyong heard the voice and walked to the door. He was also startled by Guo Shao's appearance and bowed and said: "My Lord,
But Guo Shao never took out his anger on the people around him. He also realized that the sword in his hand could not kill his enemies or anyone else. He let out a sigh, let go of the hilt, stood up, picked up the brush on the inkstone, and wrote furiously.
After a while, Guo Shao called Lu Chengyong and said: Give this paper to Zuo You and let him do it.
Yes. Lu Chengyong clasped his fists in response and strode out of the room.
Guo Shao paced back and forth in the room, thinking that Zhao Kuangyin was not an ordinary person, and that offering a reward to sow discord might not work. He was still angry, and said silently: I want to be the emperor, and I have to do it better than you.
He took a deep breath and felt that the worldly affairs could not be cut off and sorted out by a sharp sword. First of all, he could not let Jinzhan down. Her kindness, her kindness, and her trust would never be forgotten in his lifetime.
Guo Shao walked to the wall, which was covered with names of people. There were people from the Southern Tang, Wuyue, and the Great Zhou. There was also a topographic map next to it, but some of the highlighted areas were not marked with place names, but names of people, such as Li Yun in Luzhou.
He looked at it for a while, then simply put the paper and pen on the coffee table where the teacup had just been overturned, and lay on the couch to take a closer look at the things on the wall. He had good eyesight, which was also a basic requirement for archery, so he could see the words clearly from a distance.
Guo Shao picked up his pen and wrote "internal contradictions" on the notebook, then wrote "cohesion of people's hearts", and then drew two circles and an arrow pointing to another word "internal contradictions". After a while, he wrote: "Since the Tang Dynasty in Southern Shu has been destroyed, there is no longer any military pressure in the south, and attention should be directed to the north."
At this moment, a voice suddenly said: Did I disturb General Guo
Guo Shao turned around and saw Zhou Xian holding Zhou Jiamin's hand and standing outside the door, with Lu Chengyong standing behind them. He immediately sat up and said, "No, no, please sit inside."
Lu Chengyong clasped his fists outside the door and retreated without saying a word. The two women walked into the room, and Zhou Xian knelt gently and said: General Guo saved my second sister, we should have come here to thank you a long time ago.
Guo Shao put down his pen and paper and glanced at Zhou Xian. Her eyes were filled with gratitude and sadness. However, her eyes were beautiful, bright and affectionate. Because she was pretty, she looked sad and beautiful in that mood. Zhou Ermei, who was much shorter than Zhou Xian, had a pair of similar eyes, but she didn't look sad. She was staring at the things on the wall with wide eyes and looking down at the broken pieces of teacup on the ground.
Guo Shao paused, and quickly thought of the fire in the palace of the Southern Tang Kingdom. Zhou Xian must have learned from Zhou Ermei that Li Yu was not dead when he met Guo Shao; even if the firewood was placed by Li Yu in advance, Zhou Ermei saw Li Yu being killed, but with Zhou Xian's wisdom, he should have guessed that Guo Shao wanted Li Yu to die, which led to such an ending.
You don't have to be so polite. Guo Shao opened his mouth and pondered again, saying that the incident in the military camp, Zhou Xian warned of the assassination, and there was no need to mention it again in the future, otherwise people in Jiangnan would talk nonsense. In the future, Ehuang can have a noble status in the Central Plains court, and your reputation can also be taken into consideration, after all, you were canonized.
Zhou Xian's eyes sparkled with tears after hearing this, and he choked up and said: "The Southern Tang Dynasty was destroyed because of the strength and weakness. Why is General Guo so nice to me? I don't know what to think when you call me like this."
Zhou Ermei couldn't help but look up at her sister's face.
Guo Shao said kindly: Duke Zhou has passed away, Zhou Jiamin still has to rely on you and other clansmen. You can't bear to see Jiamin helpless, so you have to live well and forget the sad things in the past. I won't treat you unfairly.
Zhou Xian lowered his head and quietly wiped away his tears.
Guo Shao looked back at the name on the wall and asked: Who is the assassin to Li Yu and why did he sacrifice himself to assassinate him
Zhou Xiandao: Liu Liuyao was the sixth daughter of Liu Renzhan, a great general of the Southern Tang. Liu Renzhan was captured in Shouzhou and later killed by General Guo. She avenged her father's murder.
Liu Renzhan is alive and well, why would she want to take revenge? Guo Shao was surprised.
Zhou Xian was also stunned: General Guo didn't kill him, so why did the king
Guo Shao smiled: I sent a fast horse back to Tokyo to ask Liu Gong to write a personal letter. When Shouzhou was captured, Liu Gong wanted to commit suicide, but I dissuaded him. Later, I had a good personal relationship with him. If Liu Gong had not remembered the kindness of the Southern Tang Kingdom, he might have become an official.
Zhou Xian said: So that's how it is. As long as Liu Liuyao sees the letter from her father, she will let go of her hatred. She is not a bad person.
Guo Shao nodded, not only did he not blame others for wanting to kill him, but he also showed a look of joy on his face. He quickly flipped through the booklet and connected the lines on several names.
Liu Renzhan no longer had any prejudice against Guo Shao, and they even had some sympathy for each other; he was unwilling to serve as an official because the Great Zhou wanted to be an enemy of the Southern Tang, and as an old official of the Southern Tang, he could not get over it. But now that the Southern Tang had been destroyed, and Liu Liuyao had committed a big crime, Guo Shao showed him kindness again, and it was very likely that Liu Renzhan would return to serve.
Liu Renzhan and Chen Qiao had a good personal relationship in the past, which can be seen from one thing: when the Southern Tang court recommended Lin Renzhao to be the general, it was Liu Renzhan and Chen Qiao who made the same suggestion. With Liu Renzhan as an example and matchmaker, there was a chance to win over Chen Qiao. Liu Renzhan was also Lin Renzhao's benefactor and superior, so he could also win over Lin Renzhao; if Lin Renzhao was won over, Lin Renzhao could in turn win over Chen Qiao.
Guo Shao roughly marked the relationships between the several people, looked up and said: Don't worry, Ehuang, I will definitely forgive Liu Liuyao.
Zhou Xian seemed to be thinking about something, but said politely: I would like to thank General Guo on behalf of Liu Liuyao.
I also want you to do me a favor. Guo Shaodao, I have heard that Ehuang is good at music and has a great literary talent. I would like you to write a song for me. It should be grand and simple, and can be sung in the army to boost morale.
Zhou Xian said: "I dare not disobey your order, I will do my best." She then said: "General Guo has important matters to attend to, so we will not bother you any more, and we will take our leave now."
Guo Shao clasped his fists and said goodbye.
Zhou Xian took Jiamin out of the room, and the girl looked back after leaving. Guo Shao also thought the girl was very pretty and cute, but he didn't think much about it, after all, she was just a girl under ten years old. If it were according to history, she would be the famous Xiao Zhou Hou, who was caught and raped in a scene that was unbearable. She was humiliated for a thousand years and was indeed innocent; at least now that kind of thing won't happen.
Guo Shao's mood gradually improved at this time. The aftermath of the Southern Tang Kingdom was now being sorted out very smoothly, which at least relieved him of his worries.
Zhou Xian brought Jiamin back from the corridor under the eaves. Jiamin murmured at this time: General Guo and my elder sister are talking, no one pays attention to me.
Zhou Xian was immersed in other emotions and didn't pay much attention to his sister. He said casually: The adults are talking about serious matters. You are still young, what can you say
After a while, Jiamin asked again: What is a knight
Zhou Xian replied: A warrior wearing armor and holding a sharp weapon while riding on a horse.
Oh, Jiamin nodded thoughtfully. It’s amazing, isn’t it
Zhou Xian felt a little impatient, but he also felt a little guilty for ignoring Zhou Ermei's danger in the military camp last time, so he nodded and agreed.
Jiamin seemed to have endless questions and asked again: Am I a little princess
Zhou Xian said helplessly: Although Queen Mother Zhong liked you very much in the past, you are not a member of the royal family after all, and you cannot be called a princess. Only the emperor's daughter is called a princess. You should understand these things, why do you have to ask me everything
I thought the princess and the little princess were different. Jiamin pursed her lips and said innocently.
Zhou Xian ignored her and was still thinking about what she had just said. Guo Shao said that Ehuang would be given an honorable status and be canonized in the Central Plains court in the future. In addition, she had heard rumors in the palace before that Guo Shao was going to usurp the throne, which made her even more certain that he had ambitions.
She had no control over what Guo Shao was going to do or how he was going to plan. In fact, what she was thinking about most now was not Guo Shao. Her main attention had shifted to Guo Shao's wives and concubines in Tokyo. Zhou Xian had been in the palace for quite a while, and she knew the life among the royal nobles very well. Even though she had gone there because she was committed to a man, she spent the most time with other noble ladies rather than that man.
If she didn't intend to die, she wouldn't have to consider whether she had feelings for Guo Shao or not. She had to commit herself to him. There was no other way. Because Guo Shao was the winner of this war.