"It's time for the emperor to take medicine." Li Desheng served the decoction.

"Alas!" Mu Haoyu leaned on the back of the chair tiredly, pressed the swollen forehead, and swallowed the medicine bowl in one go.

"I don't know if Chao'er is good?" When Mu Haoyu thought of his little daughter who had to leave him, his heart was sour, his young daughter lost the joy she deserved but insisted on bearing the burden, he felt ashamed in his heart, ashamed of his lover Lin Wanqiu, ashamed of his daughter, he did not fulfill his responsibility as a father, and did not support the towering trees that could shelter the children from the wind and rain when they were growing.

"Your Royal Highness has sent letters back every once in a while, and today is the right day." Li Desheng persuaded.

At this time, Mu Jinming came out of the secret passage, and what he held in his hand was the news that he had been waiting for a long time.

"Father, Xi'er's letter has arrived." Mu Jinming was in charge of the dark department, and as soon as he received the letter from his little sister, he immediately took it to his father and read it first.

Mu Haoyu couldn't wait to open it and read it carefully, in fact, there was not much content written on the letter, just a simple explanation of where Xi Chao was now and what he planned to do.

"Chao'er is now in Xuzhou, and it will take a while at the border gate." Mu Haoyu handed the letter to his son, thinking about the next step in his heart, his daughter has made a bloody investment, and the eighteen guards have all been transferred, hoping that his daughter will not be disappointed.

"Xuzhou!" Mu Jinming frowned and said worriedly: "That place is not peaceful, and those two are secretly fighting for the salt transport." "Who made Xuzhou a rich place, and more importantly, it is still a fertile salt land.

Mu Haoyu was also worried, and said, "You can tell sù Chao'er, don't have anything wrong." ”

"Yes, Erchen will do it." Mu Jin did what he said, and went out of the secret passage to the dark department.

Fengyang Building, Xuzhou, Xi Chao lay on the couch sideways with a sad cloud, listening to what Hongming said, the cooperation with the Xu family is already skillful, Xu Chenlin has also returned to the Xu family, there are many matters to deal with, so he will not follow the Xi Dynasty to the south. The information between the two people is all transmitted by carrier pigeons, some things are bad on this, the carrier pigeon sent out today was shot down for no reason, fortunately, Hongming is usually alert, must wait for the carrier pigeon to fly out of the city before coming back, and I also saw the situation that the carrier pigeon was shot down, fortunately, not only a carrier pigeon when sending the letter, but also afraid of being shot down, the news can not be transmitted to the other party's hands.

Who is it, whether it is intentional or unintentional, it has not been found out for a while, Xi Chao is worried, I am afraid that it is intentional, so whether his identity will be discovered, this is undoubtedly the most important point, after this matter, it seems that the carrier pigeon is not guaranteed, but she does not want to use the secret guard to let the Xu family notice, and there are not so many people to call, so she has to think of a more secure way.

"Master, do you want Xu Gongzi to rush back?" Hongming was worried that someone would attack the Xu family again.

"Let the Dark Guard deliver the message." The Shiochew also had many concerns.

"Yes." Hongming retreated, and Hongrui came in with food.

"Master, the news from home has arrived." Hongrui replied while setting the meal: "The Prime Minister's Mansion is about to add another happy event." ”

"Who?" Xi Chao said curiously, it couldn't be that Ouyang Ye had figured it out and wanted to continue the string.

"It's Ouyang Lin, the eldest prince of the Prime Minister's Mansion." Hongrui said: "I married Zuo Zhen, the daughter of Zuo Wei, the head of the household department of the dynasty, and the household department is now in the hands of the eldest prince." ”

"Oh, he's been transferred to Shangjing?" Xi Chao paid a lot of attention to this half-brother, who called him the only concubine born to the wife of the first prime minister, this only decided a lot of things.

"I haven't served yet, and it is estimated that the appointment will come down after the big joy." "It's not yet known where he works. ”

"The Left Family." Xi Chao was silent for a moment and cleared his thoughts and said, "What is the movement in the mansion?" ”

"The prime minister sent people to find the master's whereabouts in many ways, and the emperor also asked many times." Hongrui said: "It seems that I want my master to attend Ouyang Lin's wedding banquet." ”

"Then there's Aunt Liu." Hongrui continued: "Because of identity issues, I have tried to use Ouyang Yun's identity as a concubine to seek the position of a wife many times, I think I am afraid that the new daughter-in-law will no longer be able to take the power of the housekeeper in the backyard when she enters the door, after all, it must be difficult to have a different identity." ”

"She wants to be beautiful." Xi Chao's eyes flashed with a cold chill and said, "Ouyang Ye agrees or not, she can't do that position." "Ouyang Ye had better be smarter, so as not to be embarrassed when he gets it.

"I heard that this new daughter-in-law is virtuous, virtuous, talented and good-looking, and she is the pearl of the Zuo family." There was a bit of banter in Hongrui's voice.

"Rumors cannot be believed." Xi Chao heard the meaning of Hongrui's words and smiled clearly.

"I wonder what Aunt Liu will do?" Red Stamen is looking forward to it.

"What else?" Xi Chao knows that Aunt Liu is just a concubine, and the family can't be compared with the Zuo family, if she doesn't bow her head again, the new daughter-in-law is not a vegetarian, and the Yin Si means in the big family can taste it well, maybe she will understand a little 'truth'.

Xu Chenlin returned to Xu's house and felt relieved, and he slept all day with fatigue, and before going to bed, he didn't forget to tell someone to find out who wanted his life.

Father Xu listened to what Zhao Qin had encountered along the way, his brows were knotted, and his heart was churning, but fortunately, his only son returned home safely, and his heart fell with a big stone, so that he could take care of his son and call him to the study when he woke up.

Xu Chenlin woke up and freshened up, and after hearing his father's summons, he went to the study with some porridge.

"Dad" Xu Chenlin sat down after saluting, he knew what his father was going to ask, and after a long story, he called someone to prepare refreshments and use it while talking.

"Do you know the identity of the boy?" Father Xu asked straight to the point: "Five years is too variable. ”

"The specific identity needs to be verified, and in my opinion, it must have nothing to do with the royal family." Xu Chenlin didn't dare to hide his thoughts at all.

"Royal!" Father Xu frowned and said worriedly: "There are many royal rights and wrongs, you must be careful." ”

"I'll save it." Xu Chenlin comforted his father and said: "He just asked me to take care of those shops, without asking for anything else, and he is very measured in his handling of things, not like those treacherous people." "He forgot that the Xi Dynasty 'forced' him to sign a five-year contract.

"The royal family has been fighting for a long time, and I don't know which faction he belongs to, in case he wants to use the Xu family's connections and financial resources at a critical juncture, it's not something you and I can say." Father Xu is not unable to worry, and he is worthy of being the head of the Xu family.

"I will ask clearly, if you really want to pull the family, you would rather break the agreement." Xu Chenlin will not watch the Xu family become the fat meat slaughtered on the chopping board of others, even if he has the grace to save his life, he will not joke with the entire family.

"It's good if you're measured." Father Xu sighed and said, who let the family save his son's life, even if he sold himself as a slave in that kind of life-threatening situation, he had to accept it, and he only had one life.

"Dad, don't worry, I'll take care of it." Xu Chenlin was fully prepared and would not let his father worry, and then explained the matter in detail, and the father and son discussed the possible things in the future and listed them one by one, which was an hour.

"You pay more attention to your body and get busy." Father Xu waved his hand and drove people away.

"Daddy, too, pay attention to rest." Xu Chenlin walked out of the study and turned back to his garden.

Seven days have passed, and there is still no continuation, Xu Chenlin lightly clasped the desktop with his fingertips, thinking about what happened before and after.

It was late at night, Xu Chen was thinking about things, and suddenly the candle flame flickered, and there was an extra shadow in the room, "Xu Gongzi." ”

"Who?" Xu Chenlin was awakened, and neatly got up and turned to the place where the sound came out.

"Xu Gongzi was mistakenly surprised, I came here on the orders of my master." The black shadow said: "The master asked Xu Gongzi to rush to Xuzhou as much as possible, and the carrier pigeon that delivered the letter before was shot down, and he needs to discuss with Gongzi again." ”

As soon as Xu Chenlin heard it, he understood, it was the young man who told him to go to Xuzhou, "Okay, let's leave early tomorrow morning." "I wondered if the pigeon incident had anything to do with my previous assassination, but fortunately it was not a secret matter, and fortunately, I was able to plan it early when I found it.

The shadow replied and vanished.

"Master, you're all ready." Hong Ming came: "Xu Gongzi has arrived." ”

"Hmm." Xi Chao looked out the window, thinking about something else.

Xu Chenlin hurriedly arrived in Xuzhou in ten days, and entered the backyard of Fengyang Building under the leadership of the secret guard.

Xu Chenlin was puzzled when he entered the room and saw the young man sitting at the table, and he sat directly opposite the young man without being polite, took a teacup and poured it for himself, and took a few sips to ask the doubts in his heart.

"What are you going to do with that caged bird?" Xu Chenlin said curiously.

"See which bird is suitable for training as a carrier pigeon." The Xi Dynasty has never trained birds, and it is not clear which bird can not only avoid the rain of arrows, but also be fast and easy to train, so let Hongming prepare some birds and wait for Xu Chen to come.

"Isn't it a little late to train?" Xu Chenlin said: "Training birds should start with cubs, and your cage is full of adult birds." ”

"There's no rush here." Xi Chao lowered his eyes slightly, took a sip of tea, and said, "Has the assassination been investigated?" ”

"The first continuation has not been found." Xu Chenlin was annoyed for a while when he mentioned this matter, and he couldn't even find out who did it, and in the future, the enemy would be secretly in the future, and there would be a lot of inconvenience in the future.

"Does the pigeon matter have anything to do with me?" Xu Chenlin was worried about this matter, if he really came for himself, he needed to take precautions, so as not to lose his life again.

"It was a misfire." Xi Chao replied, although it was a mistake, but it can't be taken seriously, she received a secret letter from the palace and learned that someone was 'doing' here, and after some investigation, she had a little eyebrows, it seems that Xuzhou has become a place where things are wrong, but unfortunately you can't hide if you want to.

"There are more patrols in the city, and it won't take a few days to be under martial law." Xi Chao gave Xu Chenlin a wake-up call, in case something happened, she wouldn't expose herself for Xu Chenlin alone.

Xu Chenlin guessed a few points in his heart when he heard this, and nodded to show that he knew.

The Prime Minister's Mansion is another scene.

"Why, why?" There was a thud, and the porcelain fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"I'm sorry for the Ouyang family, I have paid so much, giving birth to children and taking care of the affairs of the house, where is it not as good as the wife of other people, why should I compromise and succumb to the position of concubine." Aunt Liu was so angry that she threw everything in the house hard, and everything that could be dropped was smashed.

"That slut has been dead for thirteen years and still dominates the position of the wife, and the cheap girl she gave birth to is even more **men's foxes, even today's saints**." Aunt Liu was so angry that she spoke more and more openly.

The mother standing on the side didn't dare to speak out, if nothing else, she had to let Aunt Liu speak out, knowing that she was talking about the deceased stepsister Lin Wanqiu and the county lord of Zunyi, after the last birthday banquet of the saint, everyone thought that the saint had a good favor for the lord of Zunyi, and it seemed that she was going to be included in the palace, if this was the case, she would be much higher than Ouyang Yun who was the second lady, at least she had to respectfully call her a lady when she saw the lord of Zunyi, no wonder Aunt Liu was unhappy, and her status was in jeopardy when the bride entered the door, which was also a matter of no choice. Whoever told the prime minister should not be allowed to ascend to the throne.

"Madam, although the prime minister did not agree to raise the lady as the main room, he also did not say that the lady would hand over the power to the bride." Wang Ma remembered this and hurriedly said: "Madame still has a status in the mansion. ”

Aunt Liu was stunned when she heard this, put down the incense burner she was holding in her hand, thought about it carefully, and said, "It's indeed as you said." In this way, she will not have to worry about the bride's troubles, and she will still be in charge of the house alone.

"No, not necessarily?" Aunt Liu shook her head and said, "Just because he didn't say it doesn't mean that he won't mention it in the future." She was afraid that she would be happy again.

"Madame forgot, there is also the second lady." Wang Ma said: "With the current status of the second lady, how can the bride let her lose the face of the lady when she enters the door, and the bride is also the daughter-in-law of the lady, how can there be a reason that the daughter-in-law is in charge of the mother-in-law, and the lady can rest assured." ”

Aunt Liu's face was a little pale, and she no longer lost her temper, her heart was still unsteady, seeing that the wedding was approaching, but she couldn't help herself, how could she not be angry.

As Wang Ma said, although Ouyang Ye did not plan to carry Aunt Liu as the main room, but he was in charge of the backyard but did not want to hand it over to his daughter-in-law, one is that the bride needs time to get familiar with the affairs in the house, and the other is that Aunt Liu has been in charge of the affairs of the house for many years, and there is no need for people to interfere, after all, Aunt Liu is half the housewife, Yun'er is the concubine of the eldest prince, her identity is already different, and she can't let outsiders see the jokes, as for Aunt Liu's fuss in Shui Yue Ju, he knows it, there is no need to explain the reason to a foolish woman, She will naturally understand later.

The Zuo family was full of joy, and in a few days it was their daughter's big day, and the whole house was full of joy.

"Mother." Zuo Zhen took her mother's hand and coquettishly.

"You're about to get married, and you're still so coquettish." The left mother smiled and nodded the tip of her daughter's nose.

"Mother, you're laughing at me again." Zuo Zhen was embarrassed and pulled at her mother's sleeve.

"Alright, alright." Zuo's mother patted her daughter's hand and said, "The dowry is a look, what is there to buy, let people prepare." ”

"I've seen it all, there's nothing missing." Zuo Zhen smiled shallowly, how could there be any bad reason for what her mother prepared herself.

"You marry into the Prime Minister's Mansion and serve your husband well." Zuo's mother carefully taught: "The population of the Prime Minister's Mansion is simple, and the backyard is only the Liu family, you need to deal with it carefully, you must not have disputes with the Liu family after marrying into the mansion, although she is a concubine, she has a daughter of a side concubine, and has been in charge of the affairs of the palace for many years, it is not easy to get along, as long as you serve the prime minister well, your position in the palace will naturally be stable, and all things in the house will be taken care of by you in the future." ”

"I know Mother, I'll pay attention." Zuo Zhen responded.

"By the way, there's also that Zunyi County Lord." Zuo Mu suddenly thought that she had almost forgotten such a person, "The county lord is deeply loved by the saint, and it is much more difficult to deal with than the Liu family, but as long as you don't provoke the county lord, it will be fine." ”

"Well, the mother can't worry, the daughter has a sense of proportion." Zuo Zhen was actually curious and scared of the county lord in his heart, curious because it was rumored that the county lord was the first in appearance, and he wanted to see his appearance, but he was afraid that the county lord was known for his viciousness.

"Ouyang Lin is a talented person, and he is the only concubine of the prime minister, and his future is limitless." Zuo's mother is very proud of such a good son-in-law.

"Mother." Zuo Zhen was a little embarrassed when she heard this, she had seen Ouyang Lin, and she had met her quietly, and she was sure that she was handsome and extraordinary as her mother said.

"You're about to be a bride, what are you shy?" The left mother hugged her daughter lovingly, and the mother and daughter talked for a while.

In the early days, many officials congratulated the prime minister: "Congratulations, Prime Minister." "I learned that the prime minister's sister-in-law Ouyang Lin married the daughter of the Shangshu family of the Ministry of Officials, there is no shortage of jealous people, the marriage of the right family is only on the surface, everyone knows that the Ministry of Officials is in charge of the eldest prince, and the concubine of the Ouyang family is the side concubine of the eldest prince, understand how people do not know the intention, obviously the Ouyang family is on the side of the eldest prince.

But who knows what the true meaning behind this marriage is, Ouyang Ye did value the Zuo family at first, but he put it aside when he thought that the emperor might be suspicious, and looked for a family affair again, and the two families only handed over a meaning before they could say it. There is no need to think that it must be the instructions of the eldest prince behind it, but fortunately, the emperor usually agreed, which can't help but make Ouyang Ye think more, but after thinking about it, he can't guess why he came and did it, since the emperor approved the marriage, it was naturally decided.

The marriage between the two families can make the eldest prince happy, not only that, but the most important thing is that the emperor Chrysostom agreed, what does this mean, it shows that the emperor is optimistic about the eldest prince, maybe this is paving the way for the eldest prince.

The eldest prince is happy, naturally some people are uncomfortable, that is, the second prince is a faction, seeing that the eldest prince is in full swing, I really can't say what the situation will be in the future, and now the emperor does not make a statement so that it is difficult for a courtier to guess, and now the marriage between the prime minister and the left family of the Ministry of Shangshu has to make people suspicious.

"Damn boss, you're really fast." The second prince slammed the cup on the table with a vicious voice, and left a shallow palm print on the fine rosewood table with another palm, still unrelieved.

"His Royal Highness is angry, maybe the eldest prince set up a trick for Ouyang Ye to drill, and the matter of proposing marriage was brought up by Zuo Wei, and the humble position noticed that Ouyang Ye's eyes were slightly startled at the time, and he obviously didn't know."

"Hmph, who knows if it was a trap set up by Ouyang Ye and the Zuo family together, and it actually stabbed in front of his father, how can it be reasonable."

"It's no wonder that the emperor actually agreed." This is even more confusing, weren't they all impartial before, the eldest prince married Ouyang Ye's concubine as a side concubine, and the second prince's concubine status is a little higher than that of the eldest prince's concubine, and her identity is quite a family background, how can she be biased towards the eldest prince now?

"Your Royal Highness, will the emperor not agree, but it is not good to refute the face of the Zuo family in the main hall, after all, the Zuo family is connected to the eldest prince, maybe the emperor will compensate His Highness at that time."

The second prince listened to it and thought about it carefully, it makes sense, usually in the court, the father and the emperor are impartial, maybe there will be a surprise as he said, so he thought about it and his heart was smooth, his face was cloudy and clear, and he talked to his ministers about the most important Xuzhou, which is the place where he is determined to win.