The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 508 Meeting in Suzhou
"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief!"

Li Chongjin threw his horsewhip to Liu Shouzhong and strode into the guest house. When the waiters and diners saw him, they all bowed and bowed.

Li Chongjin hummed in response.

This guy is a famous person in Suzhou, and everyone knows him wherever he goes.

Entering the guesthouse hall, Li Chongjin looked around and saw Zhu Xiu grinning, taking three steps at a time and coming to him.

"Brother! I knew you were coming to the city, so I came here to greet you! Haha~~"

Li Chongjin slapped Zhu Xiu on the shoulder. He couldn't help but burst out laughing with joy.

Zhu Xiu had already caught a glimpse of this guy coming, put on a nonchalant attitude, grunted and pushed away his black palm, then picked up the fish with chopsticks and ate it.

Li Chongjin glared and retracted his hand, feeling a little at a loss.

All the diners around were shocked. The dignified Suzhou Commander actually took the initiative to please a young man?
Who is this extraordinary handsome man?
Zhu Xiu has been away from Suzhou for two years, and not many people know him anymore.

There are many traders in this guesthouse from all over the world. They may recognize Li Chongjin, but they may not recognize him, the former deputy commander of Suzhou.

Li Chongjin felt quite embarrassed, rubbed his hands, glanced at all the diners, and shouted with a bull's-eye look: "Have you eaten well? Hurry up and leave after you eat. I'm going to treat you to this meal today!"

Dozens of diners looked at each other, quickly put down their bowls, chopsticks and wine glasses, picked up their bags and hurried away without saying a word.

In the blink of an eye, the noisy hall was empty.

A middle-aged man trotted forward, bowed and said: "I am the innkeeper of a guest house. I don't know what to expect when the commander-in-chief comes, so I am not expecting him from afar."

Li Chongjin pointed at the dining table and scolded: "This handsome brother comes to your place for a meal, and you serve him with these things? Hurry up and put it back on!"

The shopkeeper of the guest house was the one arranged by Zha Hui and did not know Zhu Xiu. He was scolded by Li Chongjin and immediately broke into a cold sweat.

"Yes, my store is not welcoming you well! It's not serving you well!"

Zhu Xiu put down her chopsticks with a bang and squinted: "We are both full, so I won't bother to entertain you! Your Majesty looks familiar, do you know your surname?"

Li Chongjin's eyes widened and he was confused: "Brother, it's me, brother? Why, we haven't seen each other for months and we don't know each other?"

When the innkeeper saw that he had nothing to do, he wiped his hands in cold sweat and ran away.

Zhu Xiu looked at it, shook his head and said, "I can't recognize it!"

Li Chongjin laughed angrily: "You boy, don't do this! I, Li Chongjin, am responsible for everything I do, so I will bear all the blame!"

Zhu Xiu said "Oh" and suddenly said: "So your Excellency also knows that his name is Li Chongjin!"

Li Chongjin shouted angrily: "If I don't call you Li Chongjin, what do you call me?"

Zhu Xiu spread his hands and curled his lips and said, "Who knows! The Lord of Suzhou City? The King of Huainan? Or maybe he just calls himself a local emperor or something?"

Li Chongjin's dark face trembled, and every word Zhu Xiu said made him feel ashamed.

"Brother! Brother knows that he was wrong, so show mercy!" Li Chongjin bowed humbly.

Zhu Xiuhao stood up, brows raised, and shouted angrily: "How dare you, Li Chongjin! Do you know your guilt?"

Li Chongjin gritted his teeth: "Convicted!"

Zhu Xiu faced north and cupped her hands, saying righteously and sternly: "I have reprimanded you according to the emperor's order, why won't Li Chongjin bow his head and obey the order?"

Li Chongjin knelt down without saying a word, lowered his head and said in a low voice: "The guilty minister Li Chongjin will wait for the official to punish him!"

"The guilty minister, Li Chongjin, behaved frivolously, behaved wildly, had no control over his ambitions, did not abide by the rules of his ministers, did not respect the rules and regulations, did not consider my heart, acted rebelliously, ignored the country and the court, wasted my cultivation, and greatly disappointed me."

Zhu Xiu scolded him sternly without any pause. Li Chongjin broke out in cold sweat on his forehead, and his burly body fell to his knees, trembling slightly.

Zhu Xiu sneaked a glance and suppressed a smile.

Anyway, Chai Rong asked him to scold the guy first when they met, without saying in whose name it was.

Zhu Xiu's tone of voice as if the emperor was punishing him and reprimanding him, could not be considered as falsely passing on the imperial edict.

We must let this black guy know fear and pain, and take the opportunity to sharpen his cow temperament.

To avoid getting too hot-headed and doing something ridiculous later.

Zhu Xiu sprayed a lot of saliva and wiped her mouth with unfinished thoughts. She hadn't scolded someone so happily for a long time. In the name of the emperor, it felt good and refreshing to pull the tiger's skin!
At first Li Chongjin knelt down and listened obediently, but the more he listened, the more something went wrong.

Even if the official was angry again, he wouldn't rebuke him with such a long edict, right?

"Are these really what officials mean?" Li Chongjin couldn't help but ask.

Zhu Xiu Zhengyi said solemnly: "How can the official decree be false? Why, you are not convinced?"

Li Chongjin muttered: "How dare I"

Zhu Xiu cursed a few more times, her mouth was dry, and she drank some tea to rinse her mouth.

Li Chongjin stood up and asked suspiciously: "Is the official really scolding me like this? Or are you using the topic to your advantage?"

Zhu Xiu snorted coldly: "If you don't believe me, I will go back now! The next time I come, it will be the two generals Murong Yanzhao from Xuzhou and Li Wanchao from Bozhou!"

Li Chongjin laughed dryly and said with an apologetic smile: "Brothers are my own family, how can I not believe it! Even if you scold me, come on, come back to your house with me. You and I will have to get drunk tonight!"

"Who is interested in drinking with you?" Zhu Xiu put on the air of an imperial envoy and said proudly: "I was ordered to visit the young master Li Yanfu, why don't you hurry up and lead the way?"

Li Chongjin resisted the urge to push the kid down and beat him up, and glanced angrily at Shi Xiangwen who was sitting aside and twirling his fingers.

"Come on, please!~" Li Chongjin invited respectfully.

It's rare to see this fellow humiliating for a while, but Zhu Xiu walks ahead with his head held high.

On the way, Li Chongjin made some insinuations to inquire about the situation in Kaifeng, but Zhu Xiu turned a deaf ear and ignored him. He was so angry that Li Chongjin dared not speak out, so he could only gnash his teeth secretly.

After entering the government office, Li Chongjin invited Zhu Xiu to sit down in the main hall, served him fragrant tea and fruits, and sent someone to ask Mr. Dong to bring his son to see him.

After a while, Mrs. Dong arrived with a baby in her arms.

"I have met Mr. Zhu Hou!" Dong Waner was overjoyed and excited to see Zhu Xiu. She knew that Zhu Xiu's arrival meant that her husband's crime had changed, and the family had hope of being forgiven by the emperor.

"Sister-in-law, there's no need to be polite!" Zhu Xiu returned the courtesy hurriedly, with a respectful and serious attitude.

Li Yanfu had just woken up and looked around curiously with his big black eyes. The little guy was in the stage of babbling. His pink lips were blowing bubbles and he was mumbling something.

Zhu Xiu took it and held it firmly. He was a strong boy with considerable weight.

Li Yanfu was not afraid of strangers either. His big black eyes looked at Zhu Xiu curiously, and his fat hands like lotus roots wanted to pinch his face.

Li Chongjin said angrily: "This brat won't let me hold him, and he cries when I hold him. How come he behaves like a lamb in your hands?"

Zhu Xiu teased Li Yanfu and mocked: "Who made you look like a black bear?"

Li Chongjin was unconvinced and said: "This boy is my own son!"

Zhu Xiu sneered: "Little Yanfu is fair and fair, and has a delicate appearance. He will definitely be a handsome man in the future, unlike you!"

Dong Waner covered her mouth and smiled, while Li Chongjin scratched his head and didn't know how to refute.

His son looked like his mother, handsome in appearance, so he should be happy, but except for his voice, he looked nothing like him, which made him a little unhappy.

After teasing little Yanfu for a while, Dong Waner took her child in her arms and resigned, leaving only Zhu Xiu and Li Chongjin in the main hall.

"Brother, please stop picking on me. Tell me what the officials and the King of Jin mean!" Li Chongjin bowed and begged for mercy.

Zhu Xiu pointed to the tea cup: "It's full." Li Chongjin quickly poured the tea.

Zhu Xiu threw another tangerine to him: "Peel it!"

The corners of Li Chongjin's mouth twitched, and he pinched and peeled the tangerine like a boy.

Zhu Xiu said calmly: "When I came, I met with King Jin in Huazhou. King Jin asked me to tell you to go back to Kaifeng. The court needs you to lead the army in the future and expand the territory for the Great Zhou Dynasty! These are the words of King Jin! "

Li Chongjin stopped what he was doing and his eyes wandered: "What about the crimes I committed before?"

Zhu Xiu asked: "What crime? Where are you guilty? You were unexpectedly transferred by decree to serve as Sizhou Defense Envoy and deputy envoy to suppress the Huai Army. What crime do you have?"

Li Chongjin was startled, his eyes showing ecstasy: "The officials and the King of Jin will not pursue my crime?!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said softly: "What King Jin means, there is nothing that cannot be said between brothers.

There is only one throne. He is the adopted son of the official family, the prince of Zhou Dynasty. Regardless of his status or ability, it is more suitable for him to sit!
You are my brother, and you have your share in the country. From now on, leading troops to conquer the world for the emperor and Zhou Dynasty, that is what you should do!

Brothers join hands to rebuild the country and share glory and wealth! "

Li Chongjin was startled suddenly, his eyes quickly turned red and hot. He lowered his head and quickly peeled off the orange peel, and handed it to Zhu Xiu with a bright smile on his face: "Eat the orange!"

Zhu Xiu took it and slowly stuffed it into her mouth one by one.

Li Chongjin lowered his head guiltily and sighed: "I am the one who is obsessed with it. I feel sorry for King Jin and have betrayed my brotherhood. It is rare that he ignores his past grudges. I am so ashamed!"

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "On the Lantern Festival, Wang Jun's rebellion was wiped out, the palace was on fire, and there was internal chaos. It was you who fought to the death and led the people to suppress it.

Although you ordered to flee south, you did not take advantage of the officials and the King of Jin to be away from Kaifeng to raise troops to cause trouble. You are indeed guilty and the crime is not light. Fortunately, you were just confused for a moment and did not cause a big disaster.

You grew up in an official family, and you and the King of Jin are cousins. How could they not know your temperament?
To tell you the truth, there are many voices in the court who want to deal with you severely, but they are suppressed by the officials and the King of Jin.

Because they always believed that Li Chongjin was a man who cared about family ties, understood the principles of justice, and would never embark on a path of rebellion that betrayed human ethics! "

Li Chongjin felt more and more self-blame and guilt, and his eyes shed tears: "I failed the official family and the King of Jin!"

Zhu Xiu consoled him: "Knowing your mistakes can make a lot of improvements. Fortunately, it's not too late. Everything can be remedied!"

Li Chongjin wiped away his tears, choked with sobs and said, "Tomorrow I will pack my bags, bring Wan'er and Yanfu, and go back to Kaifeng with you!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Don't worry, King Jin is already on the way. Let's wait for him to arrive and return north together!"

Li Chongjin said in surprise: "Prince Jin is coming?"

"Prince Jin said that you won't be relieved unless you see him. He came to Suzhou and personally took you back to the court! This is the greatest trust that Prince Jin has in you!~"

Li Chongjin was stunned, his eyes blurred by tears again.

King Jin came to Suzhou alone, leaving his life and death in his hands, just to tell him: As the prince of Zhou Dynasty, I give you the greatest trust, and I hope you can trust me!

"Uuuuuu~ Cousin~ King Jin~ I, Li Chongjin, am sorry for you~~"

Li Chongjin cried bitterly and beat the table loudly.

After crying for a while, Li Chongjin said with tears in his eyes: "The official fell from his horse in Yedu. How are his injuries?"

Zhu Xiu sighed and said: "The injury is not optimistic. King Jin said that when the official was in coma, he was still chanting your name. He was thinking about you as his nephew and wanted to see you."

Li Chongjin was stunned and burst into tears on the spot. He cried so heartbrokenly that he was so sad that his face was covered with snot and tears.

Zhu Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She never knew that this black guy could cry so horribly.

Dong Waner rushed over in a panic, and Zhu Xiu persuaded her to leave.

Li Chongjin cried until his eyes were swollen and red, and he sobbed for a while before he subsided.

"By the way, what did you do to Li Gu?" Zhu Xiu asked.

Li Chongjin looked sad and worried, and said sadly: "I sent Liu Qingyi to imprison him in the east courtyard. He will be provided with three meals on time. There will be no serious problem."

Zhu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, "You understand the truth. Li Gu is an outsider and is responsible for the defense of Huaibei. If you harm him, the court will not let you go, not even the officials and the King of Jin can protect you!"

Li Chongjin smiled wryly: "I'll have someone let him go now."

"There is one more person who must be dealt with as soon as possible!" Zhu Xiu said coldly.

Li Chongjin was startled: "Zhai Shouxun?"

"Who else is this?" Zhu Xiu hated it with great hatred. "This madman is insane and insane. I want to take him back to Kaifeng for trial!"

Li Chongjin hesitated and said: "Zhai Shouxun is indeed guilty, but out of his loyalty back then, can you spare his life? Give him some money and let him return to his hometown."

Zhu Xiu sneered and said: "You still don't know his true identity. He is a spy sent by Liu Chong of the Northern Han Dynasty. His purpose is to sow discord and create conflicts within our great Zhou Dynasty!"

Li Chongjin was shocked and said, "This is serious? Is there any evidence?"

"Of course! You send someone to bring Zhai Shouxun now, and confront me face to face!"

Li Chongjin was doubtful and ordered someone to ask Zhai Shou for questioning.

After a while, Zhai Shouxun came and was stunned when he saw Zhu Xiu.

Today he and Li Chongjin broke up on bad terms. After thinking about it, he realized that he had lost Li Chongjin's trust and could only find another place to go.

Just when he was about to find a chance to leave without saying goodbye, Zhu Xiu suddenly appeared in Suzhou City.

Before he could greet him, Zhu Xiu said sternly: "Bold Zhai Shouxun! Tell me immediately about your plan assigned by Liu Chong to lurk my great Zhou Xing's plan to create dissension!"

Zhai Shouxun was stunned for a moment and said doubtfully: "What is Liu Chong's estrangement? I don't know what Lord Zhu Hou means?"

Zhu Xiu sneered, took out a letter and an old wooden hairpin with peeling paint and skin from the bag, and threw them at his feet.

"Look carefully, what is this!"

Zhai Shouxun was shocked when he saw the wooden hairpin. He picked it up in a hurry, held it in his hand and looked at it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more panicked he became. He recognized that it was a personal belonging of his mother who was far away in his hometown!
Zhu Xiu handed the letter to Li Chongjin: "Zhai Shouxun lied that he was from Liaozhou, but in fact he was from Linxian County, Shizhou!

He said that his parents died young, but in fact his mother is still alive!

His mother is blind and illiterate, and has been recuperating at home all year round.

This letter was dictated by his mother, and I sent someone to record it. There is that wooden hairpin as proof! "

Li Chongjin frowned and read the letter. The letter was written in the tone of Zhai Shouxun's mother, saying that thanks to the Northern Han emperor sending people to take care of her in the past two years, she had lived a good life in her hometown, which reassured Zhai Shouxun.He also asked him to serve the Emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty with all his heart and not to let down the royal family's kindness.
Li Chongjin was furious, clutching the letter tightly and glaring at him fiercely: "You bastard! How dare you lie to me!"

Zhai Shouxun shouted in horror: "No! I don't know Liu Chong at all! I have never been to Taiyuan, how could he be a spy of the Northern Han Dynasty? Zhu Xiu, you used a trick to deceive me?"
Where did you take my mother? "

Zhai Shouxun grabbed the wooden hairpin and rushed towards Zhu Xiu like crazy, but was kicked to the ground by Li Chongjin.

"It's in vain that I put so much trust in you. It turns out that Liu Chong is the one causing the trouble! It's his grandmother's fault, and it's all because of you that I'm in the position I'm in today!"

Li Chongjin was furious. He missed his loyalty and wanted to let Zhai Shouxun live, but he didn't expect that this traitor had lied to him from beginning to end!
"Come here! Drag this bitch down, keep him under strict guard, and wait for disposal!" Li Chongjin shouted.

Liu Shouzhong led his men into the main hall and dragged Zhai Shouxun away despite his struggling efforts.

From beginning to end, Zhu Xiu watched with cold eyes.

Regardless of whether Li Chongjin wakes up and turns around, Zhai Shouxun must die.

This man is a scourge and his life must not be spared.

(End of this chapter)