The sun sets in the west and the sun sets like blood.

The afterglow was quietly sprinkled in the forbidden gardens of the palace, and the majestic palaces pulled out long shadows.

In the study room on the west side of the Lintoe Palace, Dou Yun, the chief attendant, was playing what happened at today's Zhuju meeting in the Zhenguo Mansion.

The current emperor Sima Yi is more than forty years old, and he is born with an elegant appearance and a clear temperament. He wore a dark bat-patterned civilian dress and a red gold and jade crown on his head. Long eyebrows into the sideburns, dark eyes. There is a hint of gentleness in the innate dignity and majesty between the eyebrows.

When he heard that the prince of Chu Chen knocked the eldest lady of the right prime minister family off the horse in order to save people, he laughed heartily, "This kid in Yulou is so unsympathetic to the jade!" ”

Dou Yun reminded him with a smile on his face: "The eldest lady of the Wang family is the ......one who asked for marriage from the king in the past."

The emperor thought about it, remembered that there was such a thing, and ordered with a smile, "Summoning the prince into the palace." ”

After a short time, the little chamberlain walked in with Sima Yulou, who was still dressed in riding clothes and draped in a navy blue plain Hangzhou silk outside.

Saluting to the emperor, Sima Yulou smiled casually and naturally: "Uncle Huang summoned me in so late, but what's the matter?" ”

The deceased King Chuchen is the emperor's brother, and the two had a strong relationship when they were still princes.

He glanced at Sima Yulou, with a warm smile on his lips, "I've been back to Beijing for so long, and I only came here once on the day of my debriefing, and I was busy with something all day, and I didn't come to talk to me for a while." ”

As he spoke, he motioned for him to sit down and speak.

Sima Yulou thanked him and sat down, and served tea to Xiao Nei on the side.

The two chatted for a long time about the Northwest Trade Road they talked about last time.

Since the end of the previous dynasty, the trade route to the Western Regions was abruptly interrupted, and because of the wars and disputes in the Central Plains, the countries of the Western Regions also annexed each other and fought endlessly.

Since the west of Longxi, the post stations along the road have been abandoned. After leaving Jiayu Pass, the business road has been completely submerged by yellow sand. The caravans that traveled from east to west could not move an inch, and without the protection of the government, they gradually disappeared.

Since the founding of the Huajing Dynasty for more than 300 years, successive emperors have intended to reopen the western jade road, but there are always many obstacles, which have continued to this day. At the beginning of his reign, the emperor had instructed King Chuchen to inspect the northwest and explore a new trade route connecting the east and the west, so that jade, jewelry, and war horses from the Western Regions would continue to enter the Central Plains, and silk products from the Central Plains would be exported to the West.

In his early years, King Chu Chen took the young Sima Yulou to travel around the west, so after the death of King Chu Chen, Sima Yulou became the indispensable candidate for the western tour.

Most of the ministers did not approve of this. In recent years, there have been frequent civil strife in the Western Regions, and some of them have ostensibly submitted to the Huajing Dynasty, but they are not sincere in their allegiance.

The view of the ministers was that after the nations had fallen into each other and weakened each other, they would send troops to sweep away each other and never suffer in the future. At this time, opening up the trade route, not to mention the cost of money and silver, if the countries of the Western Regions have a sense of vigilance and form a group, it will not be beautiful.

Therefore, although the emperor secretly appointed Sima Yulou to inherit his father's unfinished business, on the surface, he only sealed the position of a nominal Northwest Observer.

It is precisely because of this that Sima Yulou has never inherited his father's throne. From an outsider's point of view, he is just a young boy who is uninhibited by nature and only loves to travel and play. In fact, in the name of travel, he explored the affairs of various ministries in the Western Regions, surveyed the terrain, and prepared for the reopening of trade routes.

"From Dunhuang to the south, it is only hundreds of miles away from the original north road, but it avoids Wusun, Dawan and other countries. Last year I walked a long way along the south of the mountain to the south of Otsuki Province. It has been said that thousands of miles to the west there is a large sea, and there are many great nations across the sea, and the rest of the country is there. The population is large, and commerce is also extremely developed. Sima Yulou said.

The emperor listened silently with a solemn expression and nodded in approval. "If you can avoid the northern countries, those who oppose the DPRK and China should have nothing to say!"

After a pause, he said, "Da Yue, that's in the southwest of Yekang." …… Have you ever been to Yekang? When the emperor asked this, his expression was a little yearning.

Sima Yulou glanced at him silently, and said casually: "I looked nearby, it was a wasteland." ”

"The queen has been a little homesick in the past two years......" The emperor seemed to be a little absent-minded, and after saying this, he came to his senses and did not continue.

After a while, the emperor regained his mind and stopped talking about business. glanced at him with a smile and teased: "I heard that you offended the eldest granddaughter of the king minister again today?" ”

Sima Yulou thought of Wang Zichen, and couldn't help frowning again, feeling depressed in his heart, "I wanted to stop her from beating people, but the force was too strong." After a pause, he added, "Anyway, my nephew won't marry her." ”

The emperor was noncommittal, but asked with a smile, "Then you have taken a fancy to that young lady of the Qingrong Marquis family?" ”

Sima Yulou smiled lightly, "I think she's very good." ”

"I heard that she was sent to Shangxiu Hall since she was a child. …… Qingronghou is just too cautious. At this, the Emperor shook his head a little disappreciatively. Suddenly, he smiled again and said, "Speaking of which, she is still the queen's niece." ”

"Shang Xiutang's background is not bad, I heard that she is erudite and versatile, and she also has some medical skills." The smile in Sima Yulou's eyes was bright and pure.

The Emperor stared at him carefully for a few moments, and suddenly burst out laughing, "I've never seen you look like this...... But it made me a little curious. At the palace banquet after the year, let the Marquis of Qingrong bring her to me to take a look. ”

Sima Yulou raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

The emperor stood up and stretched his body, pacing back and forth for two steps, "I am also tired, the queen is still waiting for dinner, so I will not leave you." Go back and spend more time with your mother. ”

Sima Yulou answered and came out behind him.

The emperor asked about Princess Chuchen's current situation again, and sighed, "Is the sister-in-law still closed like that?" It's inevitable that you're too lonely, and you're often away from home. It would be good to marry a daughter-in-law earlier, and someone would honor her. ”

The emperor and King Chuchen were born to the same mother, and the mother passed away early, and the brotherhood between the two has always been harmonious. Later, King Chuchen married a wife, and this sister-in-law also took a lot of care of him, and she was a person respected by the emperor.

Sima Yulou replied: "Mother is in good health. She was already quiet, but there were too many people, and she was also panicked. ”

The emperor nodded silently, with some concern between his eyebrows, "I'll accompany her more when I'm free." With that, he waved his hand and let him go, turned around and went in the direction of the harem.