Royal Kindergarten

Chapter 108 Conspiracy

In the eastern suburbs of the capital, Prince Ce's Mansion.

It is said that one does not look at the mountains when returning from the Five Sacred Mountains, and one does not look at the mountains when one returns from Huangshan Mountain, but inside the courtyard wall of the palace, if you look around, you can see the name and color of Huangshan Mountain, the five sacred mountains. Of course, it is built with stones from Taihu Lake.The craftsmen who piled up the rockery can be said to have exhausted their minds. They not only took the shape of the famous mountain, but also used vegetation to decorate pines and cypresses in the cracks of the rocks, and carved bricks and stones to form pavilions and temples. It was lush and lush, and the steam was like a mist, covering the whole scene like a fairyland of the sea of ​​clouds that was a little smaller.

Stepping along the spring, the water has gathered into a pool of blue waves. Although it is already autumn, the flowers and plants around the pool are in full bloom under the nourishment of the warm water, and the faint sound of zithers is heard in the air. It is slightly charming in a subtle way, but it does not lose its clear and elegant color, which makes the people fishing on the rocks on the shore feel elated.Needless to say, the man with the straw hat on his head, straw sandals on his feet, and lying on the rocks of the lake is the younger brother of the current Emperor Jingyang, but he is no less powerful than Xiao Ce, the King of Ce.

At the end of the song, Xiao Ce clapped his hands and stood up. "Not bad, this song is played well, it can compete with Mrs. Dugu, the first zither master in the palace. But these years, she has taken care of her husband and children, and has been entangled in tedious housework all day long. I am afraid that she will no longer have this happy mood. Yes. Dai'er, bring me a cup of tea, I've been in the "sauna" for a long time, and I'm very thirsty."

I saw a young girl coming in gracefully and offering tea, but there was another piece of paper on the tray.Xiao Ce picked it up and unfolded it for a brief look, he couldn't help frowning slightly, and ordered: "Call Zhuge Ziyu to come in, just meet here."

Before the tea was finished, Zhuge had already entered the garden, but although he was wearing a fifth-rank official uniform, he did not wear shoes on his feet, presumably he was removed by his servants.I saw that although he tried his best to maintain a respectful expression, the hot stones under his feet that were steamed by the hot spring made him grin his teeth.After finally getting in front of Xiao Ce, just knelt down, his knees were burned before he finished saying "please Wang Ye", and he jumped up with an oops, Xiao Ce and Dai'er couldn't help smiling when he saw it.

"You guy, you have been an official for more than ten years, why are you still acting like you were a school boy?" Xiao Ce joked with great interest while sipping tea.

"Back to your lord, you just built this garden last year. You have never been here before. When you came in, you only noticed the beautiful scenery around you, but you didn't know that the stone under your feet was so hot. Seeing the lord sitting on it, I'm afraid there will be something wrong." Healthy effect?" Seeing that Xiao Ce was in a good mood, Zhuge Ziyu stomped his feet and hurriedly flattered him.

"That's right, you've got some good eyesight, and you haven't been with me for so long. This is called a sauna, and it's what Princess Ziyi mentioned when I was a child. It takes the air of water and the warmth of stones, and it's used for perspiration and detoxification." It is more effective for beauty and nourishment for women. Of course, it was impossible to build it in the palace at that time. It was only when the king was repairing the mansion in this hot spring that he thought of it. Now the princess is rarely seen, and I am afraid that there is only one in the world. Here it is." Saying that, Xiao Ce stood up, holding a teacup and looking into the distance, as if he wanted to find a lavender figure in the air.

"Princess Ziyi is indeed an extraordinary person, but it's a pity that she has entangled with the bastard, and she pays more attention to the love of her children, but she is not as comfortable as you, my lord." Seeing his master's nostalgia, Zhuge also sighed.

"Who are you to comment on the right and wrong between the king and the princess? The next time I hear you say something like this, I'll go to Nanzhao by myself!" Xiao Ce's expression immediately became serious when he heard this, and the line of his lips was as frosty Generally small profits. "But what you said is also reasonable. The princess is a person of great wisdom, but she is too indecisive, but her whimsy is really admirable. I don't know what it will be like if she enters the court one day. , just the phrase 'all beings are equal' can explain how many shortcomings of the current government."

"Your minister has overstepped, please forgive me, my lord!" Zhuge didn't flatter him just now, so he immediately bowed submissively. "My lord, this humble minister is here for the military report that was presented at the court today."

"Well, this king knows about it, and also expected the result of the emperor's disposition. Do you think the emperor planned and colluded in advance this time, or is he going along with the flow and killing people with a knife?"

"My lord, although our people have been replaced a lot, and this time it was even more damaged, the news is still very smooth. The officers and soldiers who escaped this time all reported that the group of looters were indeed authentic Turkic soldiers. Although The other side covered it up a bit, but our people still found a dead horse on the road, and the butt mark on the horse was Ye Zhiqiu's Ke Deng's department. It seems that the emperor just took advantage of the trend this time." Although Zhuge Ziyu flattered a lot , but the analysis is indeed justified.

"Turkic soldiers...Turkic soldiers..." Xiao Ce paced back and forth, murmuring. "Why did you appear in the pass without warning? Is there someone in collusion? Or Ye Zhiqiu's surprise attack?" Suddenly he stopped, turned his head and asked, "Is there any movement at Nangong Xiao? Ye Zhiqiu should also have coordinated actions."

"Returning to your lord, Master Nangong just received the news, and he was very surprised, because the grassland near his city was not disturbed at all, and the Turkic cavalry in the west stayed where they were. With Ye Zhiqiu's sophistication, how could he go deep alone? He is not afraid that we will send troops from the western front to encircle and make dumplings for the entire Ke Deng army?" Zhuge was also puzzled.

"Either he believes that this group of soldiers can leave the customs as ghostly as when they came here, or this robbery is a private operation of Ke Deng's department. In any case, this action is disrupting the balance between me and the emperor, see I came here to force me to activate. The most urgent thing is to know the whereabouts of Ke Deng's department, is there any news about this?" Xiao Ce was also a little anxious when he said this, and raised his hand to drink the tea.

"Yes, the dark guards found two women at the pass. It seems that they were captured and humiliated by Turkic soldiers and abandoned there!" Zhuge replied. "But the gate guard is Meng Di, it is impossible to let them come over, and there are often scattered Turkic people on the other side of the pass. I still think that they came over the mountain, and there must be a path in the mountain for the cavalry to pass. Now the guard mansion is there. Looking for it over there, do we need to send some more manpower?"

"No, they definitely didn't pass through the mountains, and the speed would be slow if there were small roads. They couldn't retreat so neatly." While speaking, a carrier pigeon suddenly fell from the sky, and Dai'er stepped forward to pluck it from the carrier pigeon's leg. A thin piece of paper was handed to Xiao Ce.

"Haha, Zhan's subordinates are still so unprogressive, I really don't know how he can be such a flamboyant prince." Xiao Ce laughed after reading the paper, "A few guards from the Eastern Palace took care of my fate of being killed by Turkic soldiers. The tribute team didn't want to find the other party to snatch it back, but went to Jiangnan Road to ask for tribute again."

"Hehe, the crown prince has been weathered since he was a child, and it's normal for his subordinate Tian Wu to enjoy writing." Zhuge echoed.

"But having said that, if the Turkic soldiers came from the pass, the only collaborator would be Meng Di, but he can't." The more Xiao Ce thought about it, the more he lost the point.

"How about this, you tell Nangong to be careful, and at the same time ask our people to back down a little, so as not to be exposed."

"Yes!" Zhuge led the order. "What about the women?"

"Nonsense, kill them. Wait, throw their bodies to the other side of the mountain, and let the emperor's people find out."

"Of order! This subordinate is leaving." After speaking, Zhuge retreated, grinning again along the way.

Seeing Zhuge's funny back, Xiao Ce became silent, lying on the rock, covering his face with a straw hat.After being silent for a long time, a sentence popped up suddenly: "Dai'er, come on, and play the song "Magpie Bridge Meeting" for Grandpa!"

(End of this chapter)