Lu Lan and Guo Shao left the weaving shop and got into the carriage. The wooden wheels rattled and the road in the inner city of Tokyo was not very bumpy, but the bamboo curtains in the windows were shaken from side to side. Lu Lan's eyes lowered and she was silent, but at this time, she was a lot more subtle and gentle. She used to run around in Zhuozhou and Wushan to treat people, and she was a very spicy little lady, who provoked her and scolded people was not ambiguous at all, but now she is a little twisted and pinched.

"Mrs. Chen's eyes are so powerful, they fit well without measuring." Lu Xiaoniang said, "It's just that I'm still a little unaccustomed to ......."

Guo Shao said with a smile: "There is a specialization in the art industry, and you don't want to think about what Mrs. Chen does." ”

At this time, he lifted the curtain and said to Lu Chengyong, who was riding a horse: "At this time in the West Market, you go to the restaurant and tea shop to ask if there is any edible honeycomb for sale." Lu Chengyong hugged his fists and said, "Oh." ”

Lu Xiaoniang immediately covered her face when she heard this, but it was no longer swollen now. Her eyes flickered: "That kind of thing is generally not eaten, how can it be sold?" Guo Shao said with a smile: "The huge city of Tokyo, as long as you can think of anything, you can have it." ”

Lu Xiaoniang said in a low voice: "General Guo is so good to me, is he playing some crooked idea?" ”

Guo Shao didn't say anything, and Lu Xiaoniang said: "I'm homeless now, so I know that you don't have a good heart." ”

At this time, Guo Shaocai replied as if he was not asked: "When it comes to food, I think of one thing. I have eaten the delicacies of the mountains and seas in the restaurant and tea shop, and I have even tasted the imperial food in the palace, but I think the best food is still made by Yulian. ”

"Yulian is the cook lady in General Guo's mansion?" Lu Xiaoniang asked casually.

Guo Shao shook his head and said, "She is my concubine, not a cook." But the craftsmanship is really good, not I think it's good alone, there is a little Taoist priest at home, his mouth is very picky, and he also likes the things made by Yulian. Once I asked her, where did I learn the craft? She said that she used to be hungry a lot, so if she could eat a good meal, she had to be very careful. That's why her dishes are so delicious. ”

Lu Xiaoniang glanced at Guo Shao after hearing this, and it was estimated that she was observing his rough skin and thick flesh, and he really didn't look like a nobleman.

Guo Shao said: "People who have never been hungry will not really understand the deliciousness of food. ”

Lu Xiaoniang asked, "What do you mean by this?" ”

Guo Shao smiled: "People who have not tossed and turned in countless nights do not understand the preciousness of the hearts of beautiful women. ”

Lu Xiaoniang's face turned crimson: "General Guo is making such insulting remarks and teasing me again, I'm going to be angry." ”

Guo Shao said lightly: "I'm just joking with you, I won't do anything to Lu Niangzi." As he spoke, his eyes suddenly stayed on the bulging place on Lu Lan's body.

Lu Lan looked down, and was immediately ashamed and annoyed. Although this blouse is thin, the fabric on the chest is still quite thick, but Lu Lan's body seems to be different, and it has changed a little just now, and there is something embarrassing.

"I ......" Lu Lan immediately blocked it with both hands, "You are so light on me, how do you still tell me to be?" ”

Guo Shao whispered: "No one knows." ”

……

With the wealth of the Zhou court and the prestige brought about by the victory in the war, the crisis has eased.

Jinling of the Southern Tang Dynasty is a different scene, the weather is not good, the heavy rain in summer hits, the rain on the glazed tile roof of the palace is dripping, and the whole imperial city seems to be flooded. The clouds in the sky were very low, and the daylight was as dark as the evening, but lightning illuminated the sky and the earth from time to time.

Li Yu entered the palace with an umbrella, but his robe and boots were soaked. He stood and waited in the main hall for a while, and then he saw a eunuch come out and say, "Please come inside the prince." ”

Li Yu followed the eunuch inside, only to see that the lord of the country was sitting on a chair on the top of the study, surrounded by books and concertos, in the dim light, he was motionless, and it was difficult to find a person sitting on it without looking carefully.

"The son knocks to his father." Li Yu knelt down and bowed.

"Come here." The lord's voice was hoarse, and with a slight wave of the sleeves of his robe, all the attendants around him withdrew from the study.

Li Yu silently walked into the table and stood in front of the desk.

The lord of the country said: "Han Xizai and others have underestimated Guo Shao, the martial artist of the Zhou Dynasty, and he will go to Shu in two months, his ambitions are not only in Shu, right?" ”

Li Yu hurriedly said: "The lord of Shu has always been arrogant and arrogant, and he is known as the emperor; My father has been obedient after the Battle of Huainan, and the Southern ** is also stronger than the Shu army, and the Zhou court may not necessarily use troops against the Southern Tang Dynasty......"

"When you were in Tokyo, you promised to pay a tribute of 1.2 million yuan, and now we have to send someone into Tokyo as soon as possible." The main road of the country.

Li Yu bowed. He felt that the lord of the kingdom had summoned him on such a rainy day, and he was afraid that he would not only talk about the tribute, so he stood and listened.

Sure enough, the lord of the country took a long time before he spoke: "My father has gradually felt physically exhausted recently, the palace in Hongdu has been repaired properly, and I want to move to live there. ”

"By no means, my father is in the prime of life, how can this be? Erchen did not dare to take on this great responsibility. Li Yu said with mixed emotions.

The lord of the country said: "For the sake of the father, the prince is already competent for state affairs, and the throne is handed over to you, and the father is most assured." You remember that I am old and tired, and do not put it off. ”

Li Yu hurriedly knelt on the ground.

The tone of the lord of the country suddenly felt a little guilty: "This king has had a lot of winds and waves in his life, but he wants to give you a heavy burden at this juncture, which is really a bit sorry for Yu'er." ”

Li Yu buried his head, his face was iron-blue. My father's life was full of ups and downs, and it was not easy for him to survive until now, and he paid too much price; is about to take over, but it is a mess in the storm, so what can you get in the end?

There was a flash in the palace, Li Yu waited for a while, and sure enough, he heard a thunderclap on the ground, and then he said in a deep voice: "Please consider it carefully." ”

The lord of the country pondered for a moment and said: "Wuchang Jiedu made Lin Renzhao write a letter to blockade the south bank of the Yangtze River, and sent people to negotiate peace with Wuping Jiedu envoy (Chu) to form an alliance to jointly control the upper reaches; Your uncle Li Jingda wrote a book, taking advantage of the emptiness of Huainan to regain the lost territory...... In the past, the king and Zhou Shizong negotiated peace and made a truce, but time has passed, and I am afraid that it is inevitable that the Southern Tang Kingdom will fall into war again. ”

Li Yu said: "There are only one or two people who invite the war, and most of the subjects in the country are reluctant to start the war lightly. But if the royal family takes the initiative to go to war, there will be many people who will complain that we are hurting the country. ”

"Go down." The lord of the country said gloomily.

…… Li Yu bowed and retired, and returned to the East Palace in the rain.

Walking to the corridor, he handed the umbrella to the entourage behind him, and a eunuch at the front door was about to salute when he saw this, Li Yu waved his hand and said in a low voice: "No need to make noise." Then he walked into the hall and walked in for a while, but instead of going into the upper room, he went into the study next to him.

He bolted the door, walked into the depths alone without saying a word, skillfully picked up a bookshelf by the wall on the right and moved it, then reached out and slowly removed a brick, and carefully held it under his left hand. Bending down to look over, a piece of paper is in front of the line of sight, and there is a hole in the middle of the paper; He looked out of the hole and saw a brass lampstand. A woman in a plain white dress is sitting upright in front of an easel, she is Zhou Xian.

In the hazy light, Zhou Xian's face, neck and wrists looked whiter, like a pearl in the palace, she sat there alone, there was no one around, and it looked very bleak in such weather. She dipped her pen sideways in the inkstone, concentrating on carving a painting.

Li Yu looked at it and saw that she was painting a pair of plum blossoms.

For a long time, Zhou Xian repeated his slow movements like this, changing his brush, dipping in ink, and drawing, without making a sound or doing anything else. Li Yu felt that there was nothing unusual, so he restored the things in the study and retreated.

Walking into the upper room, Li Yu said, "I'm back." He didn't go inside, but sat down on a stool outside the screen and said, "Emperor E, make me a pot of tea." ”

After a while, Zhou Xiancai walked out, glanced at it and said, "Your Highness will come first to change into robes and robes, and drink tea later." ”

Li Yu looked down: "It's okay." He stood up, walked into the room and took a casual look, and found that the plum blossom picture on the easel was no longer there, and felt a little strange in his heart, so he asked in a casual tone, "What is Emperor E doing?" ”

"I'm painting." Zhou Xian said while looking for clothes, "Why did my father summon you?" ”

Li Yu asked, "What kind of painting do you paint?" ”

"On a whim...... Zhou Xian's gaze suddenly changed a little, his eyes looked down, and he said softly, "Plum blossom." ”

"Oh." Li Yu nodded, and then said in a deep voice, "My father wants to abdicate and move to Hongdu in advance and pass the throne to me." ”

Zhou Xian's expression changed, and after a while, he said indifferently: "My father has worked hard for many years, and His Royal Highness can share it, which is also a kind of filial piety...... Take off your robe and put it on. The boots were also changed. ”

After a while, Zhou Xian had put a neat stack of clothes with edges and corners on the couch, and a pair of clogs were placed underneath.

Li Yu unbuckled his belt, took off his robe and threw it directly to the ground, and said in a deep voice: "But it's a mess in my hands, and I really don't know how long the foundation of the Southern Tang Kingdom can be held in my hands." That Guo Shao ......"

Zhou Xian's dignified and indifferent expression changed slightly.

Li Yu said: "The Zhou army can fight in the south and the north, and a woman can't lead the troops, let alone a child at a few years old. Guo Shao won the trust of the royal family and established prestige in the army...... If there is no Guo Shao in the Zhou court, what will happen, and it can still threaten our country? ”

"What do you mean by what Your Highness said?" Zhou Xian was suddenly surprised.

Li Yu was silent for a long time, deliberately not answering, and waited for Zhou Xian to consider. He was busy changing his clothes and shoes, and then sat down on the collapse before he spoke: "I just think this person is very troublesome, think about it for a while. ”

Zhou Xian said: "He is young, and His Highness is afraid that he can only fight with him." ”

"The strength is different, the domestic situation is different, there is no way to fight, only martial artists like Uncle Siwang think that the victory or defeat of the battle formation is only related to the strength of the troops." Li Yu said with a sad face, he saw that Zhou Xian still didn't have any ideas, and gently reminded, "By the way, my country's tribute to the Zhou Imperial Court is 1.2 million yuan, and we have to hurry up recently." ”