stubborn thief

Chapter 665 Cat Manager

On the winter solstice of the eighth year of Chongzhen, the Guanzhong Plateau was bustling with activity.

As midwinter approached, it seemed as if a gust of wind blew from nowhere, bringing with it the cold, freezing the Wei River and turning the entire Guanzhong area into an ice cave.

But the Guanzhong Plateau was very lively. The messengers and cavalry were galloping in all directions and shuttling between the various military camps. There was an endless stream of carriages and horses coming from the west, and herds of cattle, sheep and horses blocked the official road.

A solemn ceremony of awarding an official position had just been held in the Marshal's Mansion.

Duerboda Lai Taiji was officially granted the position of Assistant Minister of the Military Affairs Office by Liu Chengzong, and was allowed to establish the Hexi Military Affairs Office in Xining to be in charge of the training of the Hexi military and civilians.

The actual scope of responsibility of this position is actually the same as what Dalai did earlier in Renbei, but it is just a new name.

The ceremony was solemn only because it symbolized that Dalai Taiji, who was born a surrendered general, officially entered the core of the Marshal's Office with his outstanding military achievements and talents.

To be honest, the center of the Marshal's Mansion is quite crowded.

Because the power structure of this freak is not a pyramid, but a flagpole with a huge base.

On the pedestal, there is strict discipline and hierarchy, while on the flagpole, people begin to call each other brothers and become willing to talk to each other.

Just like the generals and important ministers in various places, they took advantage of the winter break to hand over the defense areas of their troops to their deputies and rushed to the new base camp in Xi'an to participate in the grand event. There were banquets every day.

In particular, his old father Liu Xiangyu and his younger brother Liu Chengyun in Lanzhou, as well as Gansu Governor Cao Yao and a group of generals arrived in Xi'an one after another. Liu Chengzong even held a three-day banquet in the Qin Palace to welcome his brother.

In fact, it didn’t take three days.

Liu Chengzong and Cao Yao met again. One was a separatist warlord occupying the northwest, and the other was the governor-general who ruled the province of Gansu.

At the beginning, the two of them were sitting in a side hall, both of them were still proud of their status. Cao Yao reported the situation in Gansu quite seriously, and Liu Chengzong listened attentively while pressing tobacco into his porcelain pipe.

But somehow, when Liu Shizi handed over the pipe, the two of them laughed a few times and the familiar feeling came back.

The dignified and majestic demeanor of the Grand Marshal and the Grand Commander were thrown aside, and they just ran to the main hall where the banquet was held, bringing strong wine and well-cut meat. A few drunkards were not satisfied with dancing and even wrestled in the hall.

In the end, I didn’t remember what we talked about the day before when I woke up, I just felt my mouth hurt from laughing.

The next day, Liu Xiangyu and Cheng Yun came and reconvened the banquet, repeating the process.

Of course, the only difference is that Liu Chengzong still had a sore mouth from laughing, but Chengyun was in pain all over from the fall.

There was no way. Cheng Yun had actually been working very hard to learn martial arts in the past few years, but it was obviously not wise to challenge Liu Chengzong, the big boss of the Marshal's Mansion right away.

Later, he challenged Cao Yao, which was even more unwise, because Liu Chengzong learned Baoding wrestling from Cao Yao.

Finally, in order to save face, Cheng Yun set his sights on the Crown Prince of Northern Yuan Dynasty. The uncle, relying on his eight-year-old age advantage, threw his nephew Ezhe, who had just turned fifteen, under his feet.

Ezhe's wrestling skills are really average.

Liu Chengzong brought his adopted son with him to raise him into a talented person. He already had too many things to learn in the Yulin Camp and as a helper of the imperial guards, so he had no time to practice wrestling.

The family had been separated for a long time and now finally got together. After two days of noise and commotion, everyone's long-suppressed emotions were finally released and gradually calmed down.

Of course, it is a joy to have a grand banquet and reunite with old friends.

But Liu Shizi’s real enjoyment came after this.

There was joy in the bedroom of the Qin King's palace at night.

Liu Shizi lay on the couch with his face resting on Bai Liuxi's kneeling legs, comfortably enjoying Fan Sanlang's back massage. He stretched out his left arm, with Yun Jiaoyue pinching his fingers.

His right hand was dangling by the couch, teasing three kittens that were walking left and right with their tails up.

Mei Bazong is already old, so the old lady built a cat room for her in the back bedroom.

These three little guys were born this year by Mei Bazong. It was quite dangerous when they were born.

The frightened old lady caught the culprit, a little servant with a cat-like body from the Prince Su's Mansion in Lanzhou, confiscated the tools used in the crime, and turned him into a master with a cat-like body.

The cats in the Daming Palace were organized into groups. According to tradition, female cats were called "maids" and male cats were called "servants". But if they were castrated, they would be promoted to "masters".

But servants, maids and masters only had a regular position, with food and accommodation provided, but no salary.

If one wants to be awarded an official title and have the qualification to receive rewards together with the eunuchs during festivals and national celebrations, one must be extremely favored and be called such-and-such steward.

These two little ones were no exception, and the old lady named them according to tradition.

One of them looked very similar to Mei Dianmei, also a calico female cat, originally named San Yatou. Because she was very well-behaved, she was given the position of cat manager and stayed with the old lady.

The other two were males. Like Liu Chengzong, they expanded and attacked everywhere, and were busy occupying territory all day long. They urinated all over the Su Palace, making the strong women in the palace tired to clean it up frequently. This made the old lady unhappy, so she took them to Qin Palace and threw them to Liu Shizi.

The old lady may not be clear about rewards and punishments, but Liu Chengzong would reward those generals who were keen on conquering and plundering lands. How could it be disgraceful to be ordered around like a servant all day long?

So on the first day the two cat brothers came into Liu Chengzong's hands, they were blessed by their mother and appointed as the chief and deputy captain of the palace's rat extermination team. From then on, they were no longer treated as ordinary cats, but were given the honorific titles of Captain Li and Captain Orange.

Liu Shizi was enjoying it with his eyes narrowed, when he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to bring Ezhe with you?"

When the family was having dinner in the evening, Mr. Liu suddenly mentioned that he wanted to bring Liu Chengzong's adopted son Ezhe with him.

Liu Shizi didn't take it seriously at the time. He was holding one in each hand and teasing Ping'an and Ningjing. The two little ones had grown a few years older and it was time for them to play.

He just casually said that Ezhe was by his side and did a good job.

Ezhe did a really good job in escorting and transferring Lian Guoshi's coffin.

But now he figured it out, thinking that his old father might be missing his older brother, or reminding him to have a grandson.

It is being born. It is already being born.

But after hearing what he said, Fan Sanlang's answer was beyond his expectations: "Actually, this was Su Tai's idea. She wanted Ezhe to stay with her father, but she didn't dare to tell you."

Su Tai is Ezhe's biological mother.

"What are you afraid to say?"

Liu Chengzong frowned slightly. Things that others dared not tell him were usually not good for him.

The more this happened, the more he wanted to know.

He then said to Yun Jiaoyue: "Where is Su Tai? Yun Niang asked her to come over."

But just as Yun Jiaoyue agreed and stood up, she heard him say, "Forget it, don't go. I'll look for her tomorrow. Sanniang, tell me what happened first. Why did Ezhe go to his father's place?"

"Su Tai wants Ezhe to learn music from his father."

Liu Shizi thought this was really strange.

  Let’s not talk about whether he understands music since I’m older than him. Ezhe is my adopted son, so where does he plan to make a living?

Bai Liuxi said, "Music is just an excuse. As long as it's useless, Su Tai is willing to give up philosophy. She doesn't want her son to learn anything at all."

Liu Shizi wondered, "Why is this?"

"Sister Su Tai is very smart." Yun Jiaoyue said, "She is afraid that you will kick them away. Even if Ezhe is uneducated and has no ambitions, he won't make big mistakes." "But if he learns too much, and he leads the army and governs the people, it will be a big deal if something goes wrong."

Liu Chengzong couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

But he was not angry, he just asked in a low voice: "Did my elder agree to let Ezhe learn music from him?"

Sanlang said, "No, my father-in-law said that I should find a good teacher for Ezhe, so that he can learn skills and become a prefect in the future."

Liu Chengzong's brows finally relaxed. He had promised Lin Danhan that he would raise Ezhe to be a talented person. How could he be a pillar of music if he followed him to study at the university?

But then he was stunned for a moment: "I am older, and I still need to hire a teacher for Ezhe. Why doesn't he teach himself?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Sanlang, Bai Liuxi and Yun Jiaoyue all laughed. Bai Liuxi said with a smile, "The eunuch said that he came to teach, which is a bad omen."

"What's this... oh!"

Liu Shizi was stunned when he said this. It turned out that Master Liu Si was not confident in his teaching ability.

  If you teach your son to rebel against his king and father, you must be afraid that you will teach your adopted grandson to rebel against your son again, right?

"Who are you going to ask to teach you?"

"I don't know about that." Yun Jiaoyue and Su Tai and others often went hunting together and had a good relationship. When she heard Liu Chengzong ask this, she knew that he was relieved and said with joy: "In the end, it will probably be up to you, Master."

Fan Sanlang was much calmer. He pinched his shoulders and said, "There's no rush to pick a husband. Ezhe has grown up now. As his adoptive parents, we should find him a girl from a good family to marry."

"Ezhe, getting married?"

"A kind family?"

Liu Shizi patted Fan Sanlang's legs and asked her to get off him. He then got up and crossed his legs on the couch, counting with his fingers for a long time. Finally, he looked up and said, "Your requirements are too high. There are very few people who can do this."

The Marshal's Mansion is certainly not a valley of evil.

You can still find some good people.

But there are virtuous people, people with high moral standards, people who act like human beings, and naturally there are many who have started families.

  But looking for someone who can combine four characters and has a girl who is waiting to be married?

too difficult.

The three ladies couldn't help laughing when they saw him thinking hard about finding a good man.

Unexpectedly, Liu Shizi suddenly perked up, raised a finger and said, "Hey, I actually found one!"

"Who?"

"There was a handsome old gentleman in Suzhou named Yan Zhi. Seventeen years ago, his wife died during childbirth. He vowed not to marry again and raised his two children alone."

"You don't know that he has no money, no people, and no land. He worked very hard to raise his children. He is a respected husband in Suzhou."

"When I was fighting in Gansu, he was recommended by a good friend and joined my army. He should be in Suzhou now... Strange, why did I put such a person into the army?"

Liu Chengzong shook his head, then clapped his hands and said, "Tomorrow, at daybreak, I will go to General Cao and ask about Yan Zhi. If he is still alive, I will write a letter to see if his daughter has married yet."

"This……"

The three ladies looked at each other.

This guy has no money, no people, and no land. He sounds like an unlucky guy who was dragged into the army by the war.

Isn't it too small?

But none of them dared to speak, and finally Fan Sanlang said, "We three have similar backgrounds, so we don't have any prejudices against each other, but Su Tai was..."

"It doesn't matter. I thought of Yan Zhi because of my family background."

Liu Chengzong waved his hand and said, "In the end, we have to live together as a couple. My daughter is sure that Yan Zhi is such a loving person."

He wanted to say that since my father is so affectionate, my daughter must be in love, but when the words came to his lips, they turned into: "Well, her upbringing can't be bad."

"As for official title and family background, what's the problem? As long as Ezhe is happy and he is willing, I can confer whatever official title Su Tai thinks my father-in-law should have."

Liu Chengzong spread out his hands. He had killed almost all the people with good families in the northwest. Those who were not killed were tortured by him to the point that they could no longer be considered as having good families.

The high-ranking and well-paid officers in the Marshal's Office were all young and crowded, so it was difficult to find a suitable daughter for Ezhe.

Ezhe's identity was sensitive, and even if the officers under his command had suitable daughters, Liu Chengzong was not willing to let him marry her.

  What's more, even if his old brothers really have a daughter of the right age, what kind of family education can they provide?

I really can't compare to her Yan Zhi.

"Unless you find a female ruler from the Han, Su, or Qin vassal states, there are many."

Liu Shizi shook his head as he spoke: "I don't mind, it depends on whether Su Tai dares to accept it."

Bai Liuxi glanced at Yun Jiaoyue, and they both shook their heads and said, "I'm afraid we don't dare to do that."

Are you kidding? Su Tai is so eager to protect his son that he doesn't even have the courage to let Ezhe lead the troops, let alone find a princess from the Ming Dynasty royal family as his daughter-in-law.

Liu Shizi could actually understand Su Tai, because it is important to be on guard against others.

Now, with the establishment of garrison brigades by the Marshal's Army, each brigade has more than a thousand Mongolian cavalry, which has overturned the aristocratic power of the Northern Yuan Khanate.

If someone wants to get rid of Ezhe, he can always find a crime to harm him.

After all, there are not many elderly, weak, women and children among the Mongolian tribes in the Marshal's Office in Qinghai, so marrying a wife in Qinghai in the past two years is a luxury.

Not only ordinary herdsmen, but even Chahar nobles, whose accounts were left at sea during the war with Oirats, many of them remarried the bachelors of the marshal's army.

But this really cannot be blamed on anyone else, because it was Khan Lindan's fault for his disorganized march. The troops were scattered all over Qinghai. Many people did not return during the battle, and only returned after the Khan passed away or Liu Chengzong was crowned Khan.

After all, the situation was too chaotic at that time. There were Oirats' troops overseas and smallpox in Bajiao City. The Chahar army was in a desperate situation.

The Khan was dead, and the concubines had all remarried. Naturally, the wives and children who stayed at sea thought that everyone was dead. They had no food or clothing, so of course they remarried.

This led to great resentment among the nobles who later ran back and were captured and released by the Oirats.

When Liu Chengzong was in Qinghai, people didn't dare to say anything. But as soon as Liu Shizi led his troops to the east, horse bandits started to cause trouble in Qinghai.

In fact, it was a good environment back then, after all, there were women. It’s just that the bachelors in the Marshal’s Army were more powerful as competitors.

By now, there are only so many women in Qinghai. Those who can get married have already married. Those who have not escaped can only try their best to fight for a soldier in the garrison brigade of the marshal's army, gain wealth and official titles through fighting, and then go to the Han area to find a wife.

  In this situation, who would care about Ezhe?

But Liu Chengzong did not have such evil intentions. If he wanted to kill them, he would have killed them all before Lin Danhan died.

Since he had promised Ligdan Khan, he would keep his word and provide Ezhe I with food and clothing.

Liu Chengzong shook his head slightly, then opened his arms and embraced the three people, saying, "We can talk about the adopted son later, but we should get a legitimate son first."

good evening!