Zhurou

Compared with the previous questioning, Lu Xianzhang's questioning was already too tactful.

And Pei Yong smiled faintly, even in the dark night, he was a little bit of a vivacious state, and asked: "It's this hour, and there are many affairs in the capital government office, why do you need to meet in person when you participate in politics?"

Lu Xianzhang grabbed the sleeve with his hands, but felt his face became hot, and he felt embarrassed.

He didn't want his secret thoughts to be scolded by others, and was about to cover it up with words, but at this moment, his brain was like a bucket of mud, and it was strangely difficult to operate, and he couldn't say a word after a long time .

On the opposite side, Pei Yong didn't ask any more questions, but just stood there, waited for half a day, then smiled again: "Participating in politics asked me why I came: Yu Gong, Pei is in charge of the city's security control, the palace guards are empty, and the palace is on duty. Is it for my job, for my own sake—the so-called My Fair Lady—do you have to say all the rest of the words?”

Lu Xianzhang hadn't clarified his words, so he didn't want to be hit in the head by this.

A sneaky person knows the same kind best, but he never expected that the person opposite would be so outspoken, but he wanted to reprimand him, but he really had nothing to say, he just felt stuffy in his chest, and it was hard to calm down.

My lady, my gentleman is good.

Since he didn't violate the etiquette, as a subordinate, what right did he have to speak out?
"There are flowers to climb, so it depends on one's ability—Pei always doesn't worry His Highness, so what if he doesn't know how to participate in politics?" Pei Yong paused for a while, but lowered his body and stretched out his hand to pick up the bamboo pole on the ground.

Seeing the flickering candlelight in front of him, Lu Xianzhang took a few steps back subconsciously, but for a moment he was glad that the sky was extremely dark at this time, with only some faint light and shadows, which really made people unable to see clearly his ugly appearance of being poked in the center.

Pei Yong didn't stop much, he just carried the lantern and walked ahead.

Xiao Huangmen, who was waiting at the side, hurriedly followed.

Lu Xianzhang stayed aside, looking up at the tall figure walking away under a little candlelight.

After a long time, he heard someone beside him say: "Participating in politics, it's getting late..."

Lu Xianzhang didn't answer, he stood there for a long time, and finally turned around and left.

***
Time often passes very quickly.

It's only ten months into spring, and it's getting warmer and softer.

More than ten days ago, the rioters in the city broke into the grain shops, and the western army seized the grains that the grain merchants were transporting out.

Outside the Wansheng Gate, the trees by the Jinming Pond sprouted early, and the weeds and wildflowers on the ground also emerged, making it green from afar.

Walking down Jinming Pond, there is a brick kiln about four or five miles away. At this time, a group of people are moving around, some of them are big and some are small, the big ones are only eleven or twelve, and the small ones are only six or seven. Years old, led by several adults to work honestly.

Everyone was young, so their strength was naturally small, and what they could do was to pile big bricks and small stones onto the cart one by one.

The sky at the beginning of Mao was already bright, and several seven or eight-year-old children were pushing a full cart to go out. Just now when they approached, they heard the sound of cars and horses on the official road, and they all looked up for a while.

After a while, I saw a group of people and horses coming from the direction of the city gate. First, there was a ceremonial guard of honor, and then there were cavalry guards on the left and right. maid.

The breeze blows, blowing a fragrant wind.

The children pushing the cart slowed down immediately, and all of them stared at the cart speeding past.

One person couldn't help but turned his head and asked, "Xiao Wu, is that the noble man you've seen before?"

The child named Xiao Wu also raised his head and followed the carriage with his eyes, and replied: "I didn't see what the people inside looked like, but this carriage should be similar——I went to the field to give my mother a gift last time." I happened to see it when I was holding an umbrella."

He counted with his fingers, and said again: "However, the nobleman usually arrives in the field at the middle of the day, and he will return to the city at about this time. It is rare that today is much later."

"Do you also like to sleep late?"

"They are all noble people. If you want to get up early, you must get up early. If you want to sleep late, you can sleep late. No one will dare to sleep until the sun shines on your butt." Someone said with yearning.

"Your mother is really amazing. She can actually work for noble people. She farms so much land by herself, can't she do it? Do you want help? My mother and aunt can also farm, why don't you help your mother?" The child said.

Xiao Wu hurriedly said: "You can do it, my mother is afraid of going late, and she goes out every day at dawn, besides, all the nobles have fields that they recognize, and the nobles themselves are unwilling to help others. The nobles have said that, We grow our own, my mother only needs to teach me how to do it, and she will only do it for a while, the nobleman told me that after the summer solstice, there will be other jobs sent over, and my mother will not be needed by then."

Seeing that he spoke nobleman and shut his mouth nobleman, everyone leaned over to listen, the one who asked the question earlier murmured: "What's the air!"

There was only jealousy in his tone.

Xiao Wu was surrounded by everyone, but he didn't seem proud. Seeing that others were envious, he said: "Your Majesty said that for a while, we will hire people to build walls and build soil together, and all aunts and aunts will go. At that time, there will be a shortage of people." Very well, if you want, you can go back and tell your family to sign up."

This news not only caused the children's eyes to widen, but even the leading adults behind them also pricked up their ears.

"real or fake?"

"Your mother stays with the nobleman every day. Is it the same as the house that signed up to build the wall and soil? No matter how well the walls and soil are built here, the nobleman can't see it?"

Xiao Wu quickly explained: "It's nothing, the nobleman also went to build the walls and piled the soil together, and the nobleman took the lead in digging the soil. You are working beside her, how can you not see it? Besides, whether you can see it or not, After all, you can work hard for money and food, and you won’t be hungry anymore.”

"The nobleman digs the soil and builds the wall by himself? Are you coaxing us?" Someone couldn't help asking.

However, this time there was no need for Xiao Wu to speak, and someone beside him rushed back with help: "Your nobles have gone to farm by themselves - last time I saw it with my own eyes last time, it is very beautiful and looks like a fairy, you You can still use a hoe, so why can’t you build walls and dig soil?”

A group of people were talking here, and the guard of honor had already left. When they pushed the car onto the official road, within a short while, seven or eight men rushed over not far away, complaining to each other while walking.

"It's been a long time since I told you to dawdle like this. If you go back and forth like this, you won't be able to catch up with lunch at noon."

"None of my business? Who was walking and talking about going to the edge of the pit just now? I don't think you are squatting in the pit, you are waiting for the princess to drive you?"

"What are you waiting for? What are you talking about? It's as if no one has ever seen it! I just want to see the princess, so I went to her field and stared at it casually, and I still want to wait here??" The person who spoke With a wronged face, he retorted indignantly.

But no one on the side believed it, they just made fun of it.

"The mouth is quite loud, are you really going there? You are gone, do you still do this job? Do you still want to eat?"

"When I go back today, I will learn what you just said to your wife, and wait!"

"I'll just listen to your bragging! The field that the princess recognizes is next to Pei Jiedu's field. Just go and stare at him to see if his arrow hits your eyeball or your mouth—a few days ago in Jinming He tried shooting in the pond, and his arrows could hit the carp in the pond at a distance of five hundred steps!"

"You're talking nonsense, three to five hundred steps, the shadow of the carp can't be seen? Could it be that a blind cat bumped into a dead mouse and shot it?"

"You don't care if he is a blind cat or a mouse, it's easy to clean up around you!"

The person who spoke earlier suddenly said angrily: "What's the matter! What's the matter! If you have a wife, you can't stare at it? The princess is not married, who said you can't watch it? Besides, I didn't look at her— —You see, the curtain of the car covers most of it, even if you want to see it, you can’t see it, let me see the car, I think the saddle is beautiful, isn’t it?”

"If you don't stare, how do you know that most of the car curtain is covered?"

Everyone laughed, but they stopped teasing him. Seeing a group of children pushing carts here, they got to know each other on the way, found someone to sign and register, and then they each divided into teams to push their own carts to the city. rush.

The carts were full of bricks and stones, and there were no horses and mules. It was all relying on manpower. It was labor-intensive and boring to transport, and everyone had to talk about some random conversations to refresh themselves. Speaking of the situation in the city.

Someone asked: "Last time it was said that the Di people were going to fight south, and the city was empty of a wave of wealthy households. Now that it's been a long time, why haven't people come?"

"Isn't it a good thing that the bandits don't come? Why do you look so sorry?"

The person who asked the question said awkwardly: "It's not a pity. It would be better if Di Thief didn't come. It's just that these days I've been watching those Western soldiers outside Jinming Lake drill. In the past, Zhaofu fought against the north side, and they always only won and never lost. Although they don't know the truth, now it seems that the truth is a bit bigger than the lie. Go back, take Xuzhou and Zhending back one by one, can't we go back to our hometown?"

"How can it be that easy to fight? Let's not say that there are only two or three thousand western troops in the city, and tens of thousands of Di soldiers in the north. A single spittle from each of them can kill a person." Pushing the carriage on the side, he pouted, "Besides, He looks loyal and courageous on the surface, but who knows what that officer Pei is thinking—to say that he is not afraid of death, the Emperor Taizu looked at it..."

"Isn't that likely? Leaving aside what happened on the day of entering the city, someone saw Mr. Pei going to the princess's field at night to help transplant rice seedlings the day before yesterday. For the sake of this..."

"How can you climb up if you can't do this? It is said that the bigger the official, the thicker the skin. Besides, what does the princess look like? What kind of character? It is a pleasure to look at it every day after marrying home. Even in the future I really thought about it, everyone is married, what can I do with him?"

Everyone started talking about the little emperor of Caizhou, and the current princess of the city.

"Although I haven't met the one from Caizhou, if Her Royal Highness the Princess has some benefits, I think I won't be a fool."

"That's the reason. I heard that this time she took out all the land and property of Prince Jia's Mansion, staked it for us to subsidize, and went to plow the land by herself. To be honest, if she hadn't seen her go out of the city every day and go to the field in person. I’m afraid I’m going to climb south with my wife and children.”

"Yesterday, I heard that the city defense army is going to recruit strong men again. This time, the salary will be paid every half a month. Do you know?"

"Are you recruiting again? How much?"

"How much? Is it more or less than what we are doing now?"

"Isn't it possible to go if you want?"

"It's not that simple. I have to choose. The family next door to me has an old man. He said that after the screening, he will have to test his strength and compare his stature. Then he will be paid according to the order. He has to practice every day. For practice, you will also be assigned to build cities, build walls, transport bricks and build soil, but even the lowest class will get more money than us now, "

"But if we really fight..."

"With the Western Army at the front, and everyone in the back has practiced for so long, they won't be afraid even if they really fight?"

"What's the dream! Di thieves are all killed on horseback, how can they be compared with those who look like they are carrying wooden guns behind them?"

He said again: "Besides, the Western Army looks good at the moment, but who knows what kind of virtue it is to fight on the battlefield. Beidi is really here. If you can't fight, you and I will die here!"

The person who spoke first didn't argue anymore, he just lowered his head and pulled the cart forward, looking at the side of the road as he walked, and after walking for a while, he sighed: "Look at the peach blossoms and plum blossoms at the foot of the mountain. Soon the apricot blossoms will also bloom, and it will be Qingming in a few days, and I don't know who will sweep the family's tomb this year..."