Chapter Twenty-Three: Undercurrents
The arrival of early spring has paved the whole land with a layer of warmth. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info
In the capital of the Great Zhou, there is still a lot of traffic. Due to the arrival of spring, the fortresses in various places have also begun to be unimpeded, and many merchants from other places and Hu merchants from far away have come to Beijing to negotiate business. The whole capital began to become congested.
There is only one day left before the convening of the Beijing Poetry Society, and many scholars from the capital and other places are looking forward to it. This poetry meeting can be said to be unprecedented, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the current dynasty will personally preside over the convening, which can be said to be very grand. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty emphasized literature over military force, no royal person had ever personally participated in the poetry meeting, let alone His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was the prince of the country, which shows that His Majesty attaches great importance to scholars.
Many scholars have gathered in the restaurant and tea house in the capital to chat about the grand scene of this poetry meeting, when the talented and beautiful people from all provinces gathered, and His Royal Highness the Prince personally presided over, the encouragement of the prince of the country, it will be a lively and extraordinary scene.
Of course, Yuan Hao, the little prince from the Kingdom of Jin, will also come to participate. However, few people will mention this, because the Great Zhou and the Jin Kingdom have always been mortal enemies, and the little prince of the Jin Kingdom is naturally very undesirable in the eyes of the Great Zhou scholars.
The scholars seated next to each other talked loudly about the wisdom of His Majesty today, saying that the Great Zhou would create an unparalleled prosperous era. These voices of praise can be heard everywhere in the drunken Xiangxian restaurant, and unlike those scholars who gather in twos and threes, there is also a withdrawn person sitting here. He wore a white cloth on his head, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes, and sat quietly by the window.
Whenever he heard the praises of these scholars, a sarcastic smile appeared on the corners of his mouth, which was hidden under the veil. Perhaps having stayed long enough, or perhaps having heard enough of the disgusting praise of the literati, he left the silver on the table and left the restaurant.
The sun outside was a little harsh, and he looked up at the sky, squinting slightly.
"It's still the breath outside." Thinking so to himself, he straightened up his veil so that nothing would be revealed.
He walked slowly, but in a very complicated way. Turn left and right on the roads of the capital, as if you want to get rid of the people who are following behind. But is there really anyone following behind? He didn't know. But he doesn't take risks, and he has to be cautious in everything. This is not his kingdom after all, and it is inevitable that the emperor of the Great Zhou will not find out his identity.
I don't know how long he walked, and finally he stopped at the door of an old mansion in the west of the capital. He looked around, made sure there was no one around, and ducked in.
This old mansion belonged to an out-of-town businessman, and it was rare to see anyone inside. Because this merchant would often go to the Kingdom of Jin to buy goods, the old mansion was just a resting place he bought in the capital.
The inside of the old house is very quiet, and there is no difference between the desertion on weekdays. He dodged through the door, but countless sharp eyes locked on him, and only slowly dissipated after seeing the unique tattoo on his arm.
Dozens of figures slowly walked out of the shadows, each of them covered their faces with black cloth, and their bodies were wrapped in a layer of leather armor with a special texture. They came to the man's side and knelt down neatly, respectfully but with all their might, they lowered their voices, "Subordinates see the second prince." β
The man known as the Second Prince raised his hand slightly, motioning for them to stand up.
"How's your preparation?"
"If you go back to the second prince, your subordinates have already prepared, and this time it will definitely be possible." The man who looked like the leader of the ten figures took a step forward slightly, and his voice was very harsh.
The corners of the second prince's mouth under the cloth were hooked again, he laughed many times today, only this time he smiled extremely happily. He said interestingly, but as if talking to himself, "I would like to see the Great Zhou Emperor being slapped in the face in front of his subjects." β
Then he added, "That must be quite interesting." β
"By the way, who else will participate in this poetry meeting?" The second prince seemed to have thought of something, and felt that the poetry meeting might be too boring if there might be only the prince.
The leader groaned and said the information he had obtained without revealing the slightest, "In addition to the prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there are also the priests of the country, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and the talented Chen Kebin of the Great Zhou. β
The second prince nodded, and seeing that the leader didn't seem to finish speaking, he couldn't help but look forward to it. Is there any character who hasn't appeared? Checkmate? Prime minister? Or a harem concubine?
"It is said that Zhao Mu's fiancΓ©e, Shen Qiwu, will also accompany the scene." The leader spoke up.
The second prince was stunned for a moment, and then laughed happily, "Interesting, interesting, really interesting." It seems that this time the plan must be carried out seamlessly, so that this pair of mandarin ducks with the same fate will fly together. Ha ha...... β
The leader laughed too, and the rest of the group laughed along. The whole old mansion no longer looks cold, but like a purgatory on earth, full of the devil's laughter from the abyss.
In the palace.
Zhao Mu followed behind Shen Qiwu step by step, and the two walked in the imperial garden. Spring is coming, which means that the wedding date of the two is coming soon, and the flowers in the imperial garden seem to be congratulating the couple in advance, full of buds, competing for beauty.
Neither of them spoke, just quietly enjoying the beauty of this quiet.
The emperor was very satisfied with the crown prince taught by Shen Qiwu, and stroked his beard with relief after asking all the questions, which shows the change in the emperor's attitude towards Zhao Mu. Although it is not said whether the prince has really changed his temperament, at least now his knowledge has become better, and the convening of the poetry meeting has no longer become reluctant. Even many of the novel concepts of governing the country made the emperor frown and think deeply, and after knowing that it was Shen Qiwu's teaching, he did not regret the conditions he had promised that day.
It's just that it seems that until now, Shen Qiwu has not told her what amazing things will happen at her wedding to the prince. This made the emperor very distressed, and his heart was like a cat scratching.
However, he didn't force him to ask, as an emperor, Chrysostom naturally wouldn't change his words as soon as he agreed. It's just that if this really damages the face of the royal family, the emperor will not be able to handle it. After all, it is a great achievement to teach the prince well, and it is more important than the royal face, or the prince of the country.
When the emperor thought of this, he felt much better. Let's talk about young people, let's let them solve it young.