The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 386
Honglu Temple is located in the northwest of the palace city. Standing on the top of the third floor of Zhengya, you can overlook the towering palace of Xingtang Palace.

One of the main responsibilities of Honglu Temple is to receive foreign guests. It is located in a busy city and adjacent to the imperial city. It not only allows foreign envoys to feel the prosperity of the empire, but also allows them to feel awe in their hearts under the majestic palace buildings. heart of.

Unfortunately, along the way, the carriage Zhu Xiu rode remained quiet as usual, without even opening the curtains, as if he was not interested in the bustling market he was passing through.

Last year, Nanchu Mahi'e came to Jiangning to meet Li Jing. On the way into the city, he was shocked by the prosperity of Jiangning City. He was like a country bumpkin entering the city, wandering around and feeling new about everything.

When he entered the palace and met Li Jing, Ma Xi'e praised Jiangning and said that Jiangning was prosperous, and Chang'an and Luoyang in Xuanzong's Kaiyuan period were nothing more than that, which made Li Jing laugh several times with joy.

Ma Xi'e also asked Li Jing to give him a big house near the Xingtang Palace after he quelled the Ma family's civil strife and led Southern Chu into the Tang Dynasty, so that he could be a neighbor with the Tang emperor.

Li Jing readily agreed.

Ma Xi'e returned to Changsha, united with the Wuling barbarians, and with the support of Tang soldiers and horses, he quickly killed his younger brother Ma Xiguang and declared himself a vassal of Tang.

Originally, Li Jing wanted to discuss with Ma Xi'e about recruiting Jingxiang soldiers and horses, changing Ma Xi'e's title to Wuping and Wu'an Jiedushi, and allowing Ma Xi'e to guard Changsha forever.

Who knows that although Mahi'e looks naive and looks like a stupid black bear, his ambition is not small at all.

When he first met Li Jing, he promised to kill Ma Xiguang and then lead his troops to surrender. But when he actually killed his brother and controlled the 27 states of Changsha, Ma Xi'e turned his back and refused to admit it, forcing Li Jing to officially canonize him as the King of Chu. Otherwise, he would turn to the Kaifeng court. Pride.

Li Jing had previously issued an edict announcing to all the subjects of the Tang Dynasty that the Ma family would become a minister, which won great prestige for himself and the court.

In the end, if Mahi'e turns to Kaifeng and declares his vassalship, wouldn't his face be completely disgraced?

Li Jing was so angry that he broke an official kiln celadon vase and cursed Ma's son as an unworthy son.

But there was nothing he could do, so he could only hold his nose and issue an edict to officially confer Ma Xi'e as the King of Chu.

At that time, shortly after the Guangzhengdian Incident in Kaifeng, Yedu's army gathered. Guo Wei was about to send his troops south to the side of the Qing Dynasty. Liu Chengyou was busy mobilizing troops and generals, and could not take care of Jingxiang's affairs, so he could only let Li Jing take advantage.

Mahi'e is a master at charging into battle, but a loser at policing chaos and calming the people.

He occupied Changsha and won the throne of the King of Chu. He only cared about his own enjoyment and even forgot about the generals and soldiers who followed him from Langzhou (Changde) to Changsha. None of the rewards promised in advance were fulfilled, causing chaos in the army. Complaining and cursing.

Mahi'e also confusedly entrusted the military and political power to another brother, Ma Xichong. So a few months later, Ma Xichong launched a coup and imprisoned Mahi'e in Hengshan.

After Ma Xichong won the power, he immediately fell into disgrace. Like his brother Ma Xi'e, he indulged in drinking and sex all day long.

Xu Wei, the general under Ma Xichong, saw that you Ma brothers were so confused and caused so much resentment in Jingxiang, so he decided to rebel and stand on his own, killing the Ma family and taking sole power.

Ma Xichong was also unambiguous. Knowing that the Ma family had lost people's hearts, he took his whole family to the Tang Dynasty and personally guided General Bian Hao to lead his army into Chu.

This time Li Jing showed no mercy and vowed to fully occupy the land of Jingxiang.

Li Jing also ordered Bian Hao to go to Hengshan and capture the old boy Ma Xi'e and bring him to Jiangning.

Now that the war in Jingxiang is going smoothly, the Tang army will be able to conquer the entire Chu state before the end of the year and completely eliminate the Ma family regime.

The Ma brothers competed for the throne, which is known in history as the horses vying for the slot.

When Ma Xi'e came to Jiangning for an audience, it was Zhou Zong who came forward to greet him, and he also took this road to Honglu Temple.

Ma Xi'e looked like he had never seen the market before, but Zhou Zong noticed it.

Now when Zhu Xiu was sent to Honglu Temple, he could not see any admiration for the prosperity of Jiangning City. He also showed an indifferent and nonchalant attitude about how the officials and the court would deal with him.

Zhou Zong is a little bit elusive. Is this kid just trying to be mysterious, or is he really relying on something?

Did he think that by virtue of his relationship with Xu Xuan and Li Congjia, he could leave Jiangning safely?

Zhou Zong's carriage was traveling side by side with the one Zhu Xiu was riding in. Zhou Zong opened the curtain and wanted to call a few times and ask some questions about Kaifeng, but suddenly he heard a snoring sound coming from the carriage next to him.

Pan Mei, who was riding a horse and walking by, grinned and said, "Forgive me, old lady, but Commander Zhu worked too hard and fell asleep."

Zhou Zong smiled helplessly and gave up his plan to talk to Zhu Xiu.

In front of the Honglu Temple Yamen Office, Li Congjia waited for a long time.

When the convoy stopped, Pan Mei whispered a few times outside the car window, and Zhu Xiucai got out of the car yawning sleepily.

"Brother Zhu!" Li Congjia came forward excitedly and bowed his head to the ground: "I finally see Brother Zhu again!"

"Hehe, I don't dare to be saluted by my virtuous brother." Zhu Xiu held his arm and looked him over, "I haven't seen you for a long time, my virtuous brother is looking rich again."

Li Congjia's chubby face looked a little embarrassed, and he said sheepishly: "I neglected to exercise, so I made Brother Zhu laugh."

Zhu Xiu joked: "Youdao has a generous heart and a fat body. It seems that my good brother is living a good life."

Li Congjia scratched his head and smiled innocently with his fat face.

He learned many fresh dishes from Shenghe Dishe and Taihe Lou. He is also a person who likes to cook and taste delicious food. How can he not gain weight?
"My little brother knows that Brother Zhu doesn't like to use toilet buckets in the house, so he came here in advance and asked the servants of Honglu Temple to build a toilet outside the courtyard so that it can be used tomorrow.

The weather is hot, so I have ordered ice cubes to be placed in various rooms. The sugared mung beans that Brother Zhu likes to eat are delivered every day.The Bingxue Yuanzi and Bingxue lychee paste in Jiangning City are sweet and sweet. I always like to eat them, so I asked them to bring them too, but I don’t know if they suit Brother Zhu’s taste.”

Li Congjia said with a smile.

"Brother Xian is thoughtful, thank you very much! Brother Yu is very grateful!" Zhu Xiugong handed over his hand.

Li Congjia hurriedly waved his hands and said: "Brother Zhu, please don't be polite to me. Thanks to Brother Zhu for taking care of me when I was in Jingzhou, and now when I come to Jiangning, I will do my best to be a landlord no matter what."

Zhu Xiu laughed, Li Congjia, the little fat guy with rabbit teeth, was really a good character, kind and kind.

Zhou Zong was secretly surprised when he heard this. Although Prince Anding was a kind man, he had never seen him care so much about anyone.

When Zhu Xiu came to Honglu Temple, he actually came to ask about eating and drinking.

Do you need to build a toilet specifically for this person?
Zhou Zong's face was expressionless, but he was a bit sarcastic in his heart.

How valuable is Zhu Xiu’s ass?
At the same time, Zhou Zong also became curious about Li Congjia's experience in Jingzhou. What kind of deep impression did Li Congjia leave on that remote and desolate frontier?
If Zhou Zong knew that Li Congjia earned money by helping the mansion in Anding County, Jingzhou, and Xu Xuan earned money by writing articles and publishing newspapers, and that the two of them could barely survive, they would be shocked.

And Zhu Xiu was abducted and knocked out 30 yuan of salt money from Xu Xuan and Li Congjia. In the end, the two men not only did not blame him, but were also grateful to him.If Zhou Zong knew about these outrageous things, he would probably not let Zhu Xiu even step out of Jiangning City no matter what the old man said.

This is clearly a deceptive evildoer!
Zhu Xiu glanced at Zhou Zong, pulled Li Congjia aside, and said in a low voice: "Your brother should know me, this kidnapping of the prince is really a last resort, but I heard that the prince is narrow-minded, and I am afraid he will retaliate against me in the future. What should I do?”

Li Congjia said seriously with a fat face: "Brother Zhu, don't worry, I already know the cause and effect of this matter. Brother Prince is acting crazy. This matter is all because of his reckless behavior, which has led to today's disaster!"
I will definitely report it to my father and ask him to deal with it fairly! "

Zhu Xiu patted his broad shoulder gently and said happily: "Brother Xian is indeed a sensible person~ Brother Yu's life and death depends entirely on Brother Xian!"

Li Congjia deeply felt the great responsibility, nodded vigorously, gritted his teeth and said: "Although I have no real power, I am still a high-ranking prince. I will try my best to offend the crown prince brother, but also protect brother Zhu!
This is to live up to the friendship of friends and not to violate justice and axioms! "

"Great kindness! My dear brother, with his righteousness, will surely impress all the ministers and make Xiaoxiao retreat!" Zhu Xiu's face became solemn, and she bowed straightly to him.

Li Congjia raised his round chin slightly, and his fat face was upright, as if Zhu Xiu's life and death had risen to a level that was related to the morality of the court.

Zhu Xiu rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "How about this, my virtuous brother went to the palace and told His Majesty the Emperor that he will move to Honglu Temple to live with me during this period of time. You and I have a deep friendship, so for your sake, you should treat me lightly, how about that?"

Li Congjia just thought about it for a moment, grinned cheerfully and said with a simple and honest smile: "That's fine! Anyway, I am just an idle county prince, so I just want to take advantage of this period to ask Brother Zhu for advice!"

"Haha~ Recently, Brother Yu has come up with a few new dishes. Let's study them! There is also the song "Song of All Living Beings" that is popular in Jiangning City. Have you heard of it? Brother Yu also wrote it. In terms of words, Brother Yu also wants to follow it. Brother, discuss and discuss!" Zhu Xiu said.

Li Congjia said happily: "That's great! It's a great blessing in life to get together with friends and have both delicious food and poetry."

The two looked at each other and laughed, and the atmosphere was joyful.

Li Congjia loved nothing more than food and poetry. With Zhu Xiu as his close friend, he perfectly satisfied these two hobbies. How could anyone not like it?

Li Congjia was already eager to move to Honglu Temple and live with Zhu Xiu. He immediately called a guest from the palace and ordered him to go back and pack his luggage.

"One more thing, Brother Yu's relatives are all at Mr. Xu's house. After much thought, I still have to ask Brother Xian to help me bring them to Honglu Temple to live together.

Firstly, I have just reunited with my family, and I haven’t had time to express my pain of longing for him. Secondly, it is not good to stay at Mr. Xu’s house for a long time and disturb others. "Zhu Xiushun asked Li Congjia for help.

Li Congjia hurriedly said: "It should be so! Brother Zhu, please rest assured, this matter will be taken care of by my younger brother."

"Thank you dear brother!"

Li Congjia is really a kind and kind man!
With him moving to Honglu Temple to live together, even if Li Hongji and Song Qiqiu wanted to make trouble secretly, they would have to think carefully.

This is really a hostage who came to our door voluntarily!

Looking at Li Congjia's sincere and honest fat face, Zhu Xiu smiled brightly and felt shamefully without any sense of shame or guilt.

Zhou Zong stroked his beard and closed his eyes and stood silently aside. In fact, he heard [-]% to [-]% of Zhu Xiu and Li Congjia's "private words".

Hearing that Zhu Xiu suggested that Li Congjia move to live with him in Honglu Temple, Zhou Zong frowned immediately.

"Prince Anding may as well go in with Wu Shaoqing first. I still have something to say to Envoy Zhu Jun."

Zhou Zong stepped forward and interrupted lightly.

Wu Shaoqing, who was standing in front of the gate of the Honglu Temple Yamen Office, quickly smiled, nodded and bowed.

The Northern Envoy was personally accompanied by Prince Anding and the old master. As a young minister of Honglu Temple, he could only be regarded as a member of the delegation and was not even qualified to speak.

Li Congjia was startled, winked at Zhu Xiu, and led Wu Shaoqing into Honglu Temple first.

As soon as Li Congjia left, Zhou Zong immediately turned cold, stared at Zhu Xiu and said, "Zhu Jun is very calculating!"

Zhu Xiu was startled, her eyes widened and she blurted out: "You old man, why are you eavesdropping on other people's conversations?"

Zhou Zong seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "I am old and my eyesight is not very good, but my ears are quite useful. Just now, Zhu Junshi did not deliberately avoid me when he spoke, so I only heard a few words. The only one to blame is Young Master Zhu Jun. Take some precautions!
As the saying goes, 'A gentleman keeps his secrets and never goes out'."

Zhu Xiu rolled his eyes greatly, cupped his hands and interrupted: "Old Madam Fu's words, the younger generation has been taught! But the old Madam Fu just said that the younger generation is easy to calculate, I don't know what it means?"

Zhou Zong stroked his beard and sneered: "You asked Prince Anding to live with you in Honglu Temple. You are clearly using him as a hostage so that those who intend to harm you can throw a rat into a trap. What else is it if it's not a good plan?
Prince Anding regards you as a close friend, but you plot against him. Don't you think this is unjust? "

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Old Madam Fu is serious. I invite the young prince to live with you at Honglu Temple. It is just for the convenience of reminiscing about old times. There is absolutely no other intention."

"Hmph! Sophistry!" Zhou Zong said.

Zhu Xiu smiled slyly, and cupped his hands: "If there were any vicious incidents of unknown people attacking Honglu Temple and assassinating the Northern Envoy during the time when the younger generation and the Xiaojun Wang were living in Honglu Temple, it would only show that your country is in chaos. In the majestic capital of the country, public security is worrisome!

Forgive me for being rude, this kind of thing damages the face of His Majesty the Emperor of your country and the ministers of the court, and it has nothing to do with me!
I am a guest, and I have entrusted my safety to your country. However, your country does not take the life and death of your guests into consideration. At the very least, it goes against the rules of hospitality. At the most serious level, it is because the kings and ministers of your country do not understand. Etiquette, how can one call himself Zhengshuo of the Tang Dynasty? "

"You!~"

Zhou Zong was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, this guy has such a sharp mouth!
Zhu Xiu put his hands behind his hands and smiled. He did not have the slightest awareness that he was about to be placed under house arrest.

Zhou Zong had a profound knowledge of nourishing qi. He hummed and shook his sleeves, and did not continue to argue with Zhu Xiu.

"I remind you that Prince Anding is still young and has always stayed out of court struggles. If you rashly drag him into the water, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to yourself and others!" Zhou Zong shook his head with a serious expression.

Zhu Xiu glanced at him. Unexpectedly, the old man was somewhat protective of Li Congjia. Could it be that he wanted to arrange a marriage between Zhou Xian and Li Congjia now?
Zhu Xiu said calmly: "The old lady is too worried. I don't dare to get involved in the important affairs of your country."

After a pause, Zhu Xiu said with a sly smile: "But how did the old master know that the young prince did not have the intention to inherit the unification? How did he know that he did not have the courage to fight with Li Hongji?"

Zhou Zong was stunned and said in a deep voice: "Prince Anding is not an ambitious person."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Ambition can be nurtured and cultivated! The old master might as well think more broadly and boldly, and look at other people besides King Jin!"

Zhu Xiu winked and looked like a cunning fox. She cupped her hands and walked towards the gate of Honglu Temple Yamen.

Zhou Zong was stunned for a long time, and it was not until Zhu Xiu's figure disappeared from the gate of the government office that he came back to his senses. A cold sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead, and he gritted his teeth and shouted:

"What a cunning boy. He wants to completely disrupt my battle for the throne!"

Zhou Zong felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat. If, as Zhu Xiu said, Li Congjia also left the field to compete for the reserve position, what kind of chaos would the situation in Jiangnan be!

This Zhu Xiu has evil intentions and is not a son of a human being!
(End of this chapter)