Zhurou

Chapter 237 Coquetry

In the eyes of officials in the capital, since Wei Chengyan belonged to the Jingzhao Prefecture, they did not dare to approach him easily, for fear that others would think he was taking sides.

As for those who could get close, firstly they were proud of their status, and secondly they did not want to act rashly, so they were waiting for the governor Pei Yong to return to the capital before they could take any action.

He did not live in the official post station, nor did he have any fixed office or errands. Every day, except for being summoned to inquire about the situation on the front line, he would leave immediately after the roll call, and his whereabouts could not be found at all. Even those who came to the door of Li's Escort Agency to inquire were already sent away by Lao Zhu.

So the man wandered around the city, looking for horses everywhere. After a few days, he didn't find two horses, but he became familiar with every road.

He loves fine horses and wine, but Pei Yong had instructed his subordinate Xiao Zhu, who came to the capital this time, to collect all the silver and money and not let him handle them, lest he get drunk and meet someone he doesn't like, and then become violent and get into trouble - after all, this place is not like Jingzhao Prefecture, and the situation is very delicate. If someone uses this as a raft, it would be very not worth it to lose the big picture for the small one.

  Wei Chengyan also knew his own temper, and he agreed immediately. He felt that as a man like him, he always thought of the overall situation, and there was nothing wrong with such small matters. The last time he went from Dengzhou to Jingzhao Prefecture with Xiao Zhao, they didn’t have any good wine on the way, but they just endured it, didn’t they?

Who would have thought that once he entered the capital, although there was not enough fine wine everywhere, there were many new flavors that he had never tasted or seen before. It would have been okay if they were not in front of him in the past, but now when he walked on the road, the fragrance would float into his nose, and it was all supported by his willpower - that would have been fine, there was not even a good horse to comfort him.

Wei Chengyan felt that his life was extremely miserable. He would check the almanac three times a day and count the days until his second brother returned to Beijing. He hoped that he could start his precepts after his return. He also hoped that even if he could not start his precepts, he would have more brothers to suffer with him. The bitterness might be less severe if they shared the pain.

Not to mention that Wei Chengyan was feeling aggrieved here, and the sweat he worked out every day was so bitter that it made him feel bitter. In the inner court, Zhao Mingzhi had finally sorted out all the important matters in front of him. It was rare that he had some free time. Seeing that it was getting late, he didn't care about anything else and went to Funing Palace to look for Zhao Hong first.

This time, before he got closer, he saw a large open space outside with targets, javelins and other objects placed there, and many unsharpened swords standing on the weapon racks. Thirty or forty guards were standing on the field, each with a piece of paper pasted behind them with their name written on it. They were competing in groups of several people, and the fight was very lively.

She stood where she was, not moving closer, and watched intently for half a cup of tea.

With Zhao Mingzhi's keen eyesight, he could still see that everyone was too fancy and lacked strength, and their experience was average. However, since they were short of soldiers and generals, he could not be too picky.

After she looked around, she saw Zhao Hong standing outside the crowd not far away.

Zhao Hong was accompanied by Wang Shu and several guards, who were reading the book with great interest. He held a booklet in one hand and a pen in the other, writing down something in the booklet with a serious look on his face, but no one knew what he was writing.

Zhao Mingzhi walked closer, and when the guards saw her, their movements gradually slowed down. Zhao Hong, who was at the back, was about to frown when he saw Zhao Mingzhi, and his face did not look very happy at all. Instead, he felt a little guilty. He stepped back half a step, then walked forward again, smiling and calling out "Sister".

"Have you eaten? Are you learning boxing?" Zhao Mingzhi pretended not to know and didn't say much, just asked with a smile.

"I've already eaten on time." Zhao Hong held the paper and pen tightly in his hand, and even smiled with a bit of trepidation, "Sister said before that I was weak, so she found someone to teach me, but I can't even stand steadily. After thinking about it, I have nothing else to do, so I'll watch how they practice martial arts..."

He took a few steps forward and pointed at the people in the field, introducing them to Zhao Mingzhi one by one, telling them their names, what they were good at, where they were from, and what their backgrounds were. He really knew them all like the back of his hand, and it was obvious that he knew a lot about them.

The two men walked forward. Zhao Hong was still talking, but he had already hidden the pen and the book behind his back.

No matter how careful this action was, it was still very obvious. However, Zhao Mingzhi ignored it and praised everyone solemnly. He did not steal the limelight from his brother. He just talked and did not give any money or things as rewards. After everyone dispersed, he asked Zhao Hong: "Do you like any of them?"

Zhao Hong nodded subconsciously, then shook his head. He looked around and saw that there was no one nearby. He hesitated for a while before saying, "There are a few I like, but I don't know what their character is like and whether they can be trusted. Sister, now that Zong Gu has died, should we still do what we said last time about sending an envoy to Xingqing Prefecture?"

Since coming to Beijing from Caizhou on his own, Zhao Hong no longer tells his sister everything as he did before, and his concern about Tibetan affairs has become increasingly serious. Although this question is directed at the diplomatic corps, it is obvious that he has other plans.

Zhao Mingzhi recalled that when he was young, he gradually became independent as he grew older. He was unwilling to share his feelings with others. He naturally knew that this was a natural thing. Although he was concerned this time, he did not want to ask too much. He just replied literally: "Do you want to do it?"

Zhao Hong put his hands behind his back and was silent for a long time before he said, "I want to bring those ministers back, but I don't want the emperor."

He did not look at Zhao Mingzhi, but raised his head, as if looking at the sky, or as if looking at the tall palace wall in the distance.

It was already late in the evening, the sun was setting, and there was a rare ray of afterglow falling on a corner of the sky. The color was gray-blue with a hint of red. It looked gray, foggy and chaotic. As for the palace walls, there was only a black outline and the actual appearance could not be seen clearly.

After being distracted for a long time, Zhao Hong retracted his gaze, turned back, and said frankly and solemnly: "Sister, I have never wanted to be the emperor, but since I have been the emperor for so long, I can't give up. Just like how I look at the emperor now, if he comes back, won't he look at me the same way?"

"Besides... he was such a bad official, such a wicked man, and the people suffered so much when he was alive. Although I am young and don't know much right now, I can always learn, and I have a good heart. Sooner or later, I will do well in the future."

"As for Zhang Yi and the others, I listened to the story my sister told me last time, and I went to read it carefully. I also thought about it seriously when I came back. They were so capable in the past. They have been in the two governments for quite some time, but they haven't made any achievements. Every word they say is for the court, for the people, for the country, for the country, and for the good of me, the emperor. In fact, what they have done is not even a bit better than when they were officials in the past..."

"I don't know what their deep intentions are, or what their foresight is. I only know that they have been making up their minds for the past half a year. The court has moved from the capital to Caizhou. If they follow their plan, they will move further south to Mingzhou, Jianzhou, and Hangzhou... If they retreat step by step like this, can the Di people ever get enough to eat?"

"If it weren't for my sister's determination to go to Jingzhao Prefecture, then the Jiedushi Pei Yong would have obeyed the transfer. Not only the capital, but even Caizhou would have been lost long ago..."

Zhao Hong listed them one by one, and his expression became colder and colder. Although he still had a childish face and did not shout when he was angry, his calmness made people listen more seriously. "No matter how powerful they were in the past, how can their current behavior be worthy of such a level? How can they be worthy of the salary and benefits they receive?"

At this point, he looked at Zhao Mingzhi and said, "I didn't know this before. Last time, I met someone from the palace who was out doing shopping. He took a bottle of new tea from the carriage and wanted to give it to my sister, but he forgot to put it down halfway. After he got back, he found that there was paper pasted on it - it turned out to be a special gift for Zhang Shumi."

"At that time, everything was in short supply in the capital. My sister always ate old tea. I asked someone to inquire privately and found out that Zhang Shumi was not used to old tea. The people below hurriedly went out to pick good tea and brought it back. Because they were afraid that they would be too late, they also went to the palace to buy..."

"He lives like this, and they all live like this. I heard that in the past, Yang Zhongcheng's family only ate the hearts of yellow sparrows for dinner, and they could eat a thousand yellow sparrows in a day at a price of one ounce of silver each. Can they really care about the people and the country? Why should people like this be allowed to live so comfortably?"

Zhao Hong poured out all the words in one breath, as if he had been holding them in for a long time, and there was a lot of anger in his words.

But when he said this, he calmed down again, looked up at Zhao Mingzhi and said, "I know that my sister is afraid that I am too young to control the two governments, and no one will take my words seriously. She is also afraid that the governor Pei Yong will not listen to my orders.

My elder sister doesn't want me to go astray, and doesn't want me to learn any different opinions to stir up trouble, but I think it would be better to bring back the old officials of Xingqing Prefecture and let them fight first. Even if I have to retreat to that place at this time, I will have no say, but as my elder sister said, I grow up day by day, and they grow old day by day. Let them toss each other around, and I can still see and learn from it. It's better than now, when everyone controls me - it can't be better than now. Now it's already like this, how much worse can it be?"

"Besides, the delegation has to negotiate repeatedly after going back and forth. The Di people are not stupid. They will definitely bargain and will not release all the people at once. It will take at least one or two years for the matter to be settled. I will be two years older..."

"Zonggu is dead, so the marriage with the Di people is naturally out of the question. Sister is unlucky to have a brother like me, but no matter how useless I am, I will not ask Sister to marry randomly. Who to marry, who not to marry, or whether to marry at all, should be decided by Sister herself!"

When he said this, he had many other thoughts in mind, but he changed his mind and closed his mouth tightly, refusing to reveal a single word. He only thought in his heart: Of all my clothes, only this robe I am wearing is somewhat useful. Although it is still too early for me to reach adulthood, I can be considered an adult in a few years. My elder sister cannot marry into a foreign country, so who says I can't be used as a bargaining chip to marry someone else?

From ancient times to the present, there are many emperors who have exchanged marriages for the support of their wives' families. Since he ascended the throne, he has never had to suffer shame. So why should he be afraid of being talked about?

As for the innocent woman who was involved, he couldn't care less. If it really didn't work out, he would just find a way to compensate her in the future.

Zhao Hong's confession here made Zhao Mingzhi, who was already standing there, unable to move for a long time.

She looked in the dim light of the setting sun and felt that the faces of her brothers were clearly familiar, but when she looked closely, the stubborn expressions seemed a little strange.

"You are the emperor, there is no other emperor."

After a long time, Zhao Mingzhi spoke.

"In that case, let's send an envoy to negotiate." She thought for a moment, then continued, "We can slowly select the chief and deputy envoys first, and there is no rush to decide."

How could Zhao Hong not feel uneasy when he said all these words? Getting such affirmation from Zhao Mingzhi was like getting a large cup of cool well water when he was extremely thirsty. He just wanted to gulp it down. He would never exchange it for anything, even precious treasures, or even wealth and glory.

He still held the booklet in his hand as a reminder, and couldn't help asking, "Of course, the chief and deputy envoys have to be selected slowly, but there must be guards in the accompanying delegation, right? Sister, do you think it's possible to pick a team of people from my guards to go to Xingqing Mansion with me?"

  ***

His younger brother had his own opinions and ideas when encountering things. Although Zhao Mingzhi knew that he must have other plans, and knew that if he pressed the issue to the end, he might not get an explanation, but he was unwilling to do so.

After all, there are clearly still some personal soldiers from the vassal states. Even if their number is small, it is not difficult to draw out a team. However, Zhao Hong would rather use the imperial guards than his personal soldiers. There must be a reason for this.

But as the two said when they were face to face, Zhao Hong is the emperor.

At a certain moment, Zhao Mingzhi seemed to feel the mood that his parents had felt at a certain moment when they were still in the frontier.

Like Zhao Hong, she was filled with worries, but there was really no one to talk to at this moment, so she could only walk all the way from Funing Palace back to her own bedroom to digest her feelings slowly. The further she walked, the more her heart was immersed in her emotions, and she didn't know how to pull herself out. As she was walking slowly, she suddenly heard a barking sound not far away. She looked up and saw several lanterns held high in the darkness, and they were chasing closely behind her, but none of them could catch up with the one running in the front - it was a yellow-haired dog.

The dog ran very fast on its four legs. In just a few breaths, it rushed to Zhao Mingzhi like lightning. It knew not to pounce on people, but just circled around her, its tail shaking out a shadow, and used its head and body to nudge her feet, and drilled in between her feet and legs, sticking out its tongue, barking constantly, and then leaning forward and squinting its eyes to ask her to touch it, and then rolled over on the ground, revealing a white belly under its four half-yellow legs - it was the dog Qiongjiang.

This dog was sent to the palace originally to guard the house and catch mice. Later on, it almost never caught mice and only guarded Zhao Mingzhi's bedroom. It didn't bark on weekdays and was very quiet. However, it was very loyal to its master. Once it heard Zhao Mingzhi's voice, even if it was far away and only the sound of footsteps was heard, it would bark and come over to act cute.

Zhao Mingzhi has been very busy these days and has not even returned to his bedroom. He found a place to rest in the nearby Chuigong Hall and has not met it. When he saw the little yellow dog, he could not help but squat down to rub its head, touch its chin, and sniff its belly.

The dog made a purring sound, its eyes narrowed, and it put its mouth close to Zhao Mingzhi's hand, brushing it with its whiskers, looking very intimate and satisfied.

There was clearly no similarity, but for some reason, Zhao Mingzhi immediately thought of the person who sent the dog.