After several days of heavy snowfall, Zhao Junsheng asked the family to move all the wax goods into the cellar for storage, and collected a large amount of ice and snow to carry them to the cellar with water tanks, so that the cellar could be kept low for a long time and facilitate the storage of food.

The New Year will be over in a few days, and this year's New Year will be more lively than usual, at least the relatives are around, Zhao Junsheng thinks so.

On the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, at noon Zhao Junsheng and Hua Mulan and Yizi Wei Jing had a reunion dinner with Liang Lian's family in the Thorn Shi Mansion, and took Wei Jing to Huafu at night to have a reunion dinner with his mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

Don't think that there is no firecrackers and fireworks in this year, there is no atmosphere of the New Year, at this time every New Year's festival to burn the bamboo pole, the bamboo pole is sealed and hollow, once it is burned in the fire, it will make a crackling sound, and the firecrackers have the same effect, so it is called firecrackers.

After the invention of gunpowder, it was found that the explosion of firecrackers was similar to the sound of firecrackers, but the sound was much louder and could maintain a coherent explosion, so firecrackers were used instead of firecrackers, but some thick firecrackers were the same thickness as bamboo poles, so they were still called firecrackers.

After having dinner at his mother-in-law's house, Zhao Junsheng and Hua Mulan took Wei Jing back to the Thorn Shi Mansion, and the Chinese New Year's Eve vigil was still to be kept at their own home.

The three of them and Liang Lian's family kept watch until late at night before they went to sleep.

Early the next morning, after Zhao Junsheng and Hua Mulan got up, Wei Jing also got up to greet them, and Zhao Junsheng gave him a red envelope: "This is the New Year's bag, take it!" ”

"Thank you, father!"

Zhao Junsheng and Hua Mulan went to pay New Year's greetings to Liang Lin and his wife, and when it was their turn to give them New Year's greetings, Zhao Junsheng gave each of them a New Year's bag.

In the next few days, whenever there is a child who pays New Year's greetings to Zhao Junsheng, he will give a New Year's bag. Since then, it has become a tradition to give children New Year's bags during the New Year, and those who have money give more, and those who have no money give less, mainly to celebrate.

After the fifteenth Shangyuan Festival of the first lunar month, it was lively all day, and Zhao Junsheng began to get busy, and spring ploughing, water conservancy dredging, and seeds in civil affairs were the top priorities. As the snow and ice began to melt, the roads became clear, and trade between the north and the south became frequent.

When Zhao Junsheng was busy with government affairs and military affairs, Hua Mulan took care of the housework at home, and took care of the family's business with Liang Lian, and she took care of it inside and out.

But the good times didn't last long, at the end of the first month, a team of people suddenly came from Pingcheng and arrived at the Thorn Mansion, and the leader was actually the eunuch in the palace.

Zhao Junsheng immediately greeted him with the officials of the Assassin's Mansion, "I don't know why the Qin envoy came?" ”

The leading eunuch said to Zhao Junsheng: "General Zhao, the emperor has a decree for General Anbei and Jiyang Marquis Mulan, please let General Hua come out to receive the decree, right?" ”

Zhao Junsheng had a bad premonition, but he had to send someone to the backyard to find Mulan.

When Mulan came out, the eunuch took out the holy decree and read it, the main content was that the three-month vacation given to Mulan by the imperial court had ended, and Hua Mulan would go to Pingcheng to take up a new post within a month.

Hua Mulan looked at Zhao Junsheng, and Zhao Junsheng signaled Hua Mulan to take the holy decree first, and she couldn't let these eunuchs who announced the decree not get off the stage.

He kept these eunuchs and the Yulin soldiers who followed him to stay.

At night, the couple discussed in their room how to deal with the matter.

Hua Mulan saw Zhao Junsheng's brows tightened, and couldn't help but say: "Brother Junsheng, the emperor's decree has been issued, if I don't go, I will be disrespectful ······to the decree."

"No! Now that you are married to a wife, the court should no longer use you, and I don't know what Zong Ai thinks, always staring at you, is it possible that apart from you, this court can't play? Zhao Junsheng said angrily.

Mulan didn't know what to do, "Then how do you say this matter should be handled?" You can't ignore the edict, can you? ”

Zhao Junsheng thought for a while and said: "In this way, if you write a letter to excuse yourself, you will say that you are not feeling well, and it is difficult to leave within a month, ask for some grace, and wait for another month, if the imperial court sends an edict to summon you to the capital, you will refuse on the grounds that you are pregnant!" ”

After hearing this, Mulan nodded: "This is a delaying method, it's just ······ If I am not pregnant in a month, won't it be easy to get dressed? This crime of deceiving the king is not a joke! ”

Zhao Junsheng grabbed Mulan's waist and said with a smile: "It's not simple, let's work hard this month, do more man-making exercises, and strive to succeed in making people within a month!" ”

Hua Mulan's face turned red, and she gently slapped Zhao Junsheng with her fist: "Not serious!" ”

What Zhao Junsheng and Hua Mulan didn't expect was that in the next few days, an edict was sent from Pingcheng every day, each of which ordered Hua Mulan to return to Beijing immediately to take up a new position, plus the first edict was a total of nine.

On the night of February 12, Hua Mulan put on the table nine edicts summoning her back to Beijing to take up a new position, and said bitterly: "Am I so favored? The imperial court actually issued nine edicts in a row! ”

The current imperial court is definitely controlled by Zong Ai, and these nine edicts must also be the instructions of Zong Ai, Zhao Junsheng doesn't know what Zong Ai means and what his intentions are.

But in any case, Zhao Junsheng and Hua Mulan knew that the strategy of delaying time and not going to the capital would not work, and the imperial court would not go to nine edicts in a row, which was definitely a slap in the face of the imperial court, and the imperial court would never allow this kind of thing not to take the edict seriously.

Zhao Junsheng frowned: "I always feel that Zong Ai has some ill intentions, in order to let you go to the capital to serve, he actually issued nine edicts in a row, is it worth it?" What made him so expensive? ”

Hua Mulan silently put away the nine edicts and said to Zhao Junsheng: "It's not okay not to go, unless we want to rebel." Brother Junsheng, after I leave, my mother and little brother will ask you to take care of me! ”

Zhao Junsheng sighed: "Mulan, you and I are husband and wife, my mother-in-law is like my biological mother, and Xiaoxiong is like my younger brother, why don't I care about them?" ”

Mulan nodded: "With you, I don't worry." I'm going to pack my things! ”

Zhao Junsheng got up and walked out of the door, came to the front yard, and ordered a soldier standing guard: "Go and call Li Bao and Lu Xuanbo!" ”

It didn't take long for Lu Xuanbo and Li Bao to come to Zhao Junsheng, "General! ”

Zhao Junsheng said: "Presumably you also know that the imperial court has issued nine edicts in a row to let Mulan go to the city to perform her duties, Zong Ai is a sinister and cunning person, and he often acts after making a decision, I can't guess his true intentions, even Dongfang Chen can't count the good luck of Mulan going to the capital this time, I'm not at ease!" ”

After speaking, Zhao Junsheng said to the two: "I want to ask the two of you to go to the capital with Mulan!" ”

Li Bao and Lu Xuanbo said: "Go to the soup and fight the fire, don't give up!" ”

"Good! Li Bao, you are the captain of Mulan's personal guard, Lao Lu, you are in the dark, don't show up easily, and deal with some dangers from the shadows! ”

The two clasped their fists and agreed: "Yes!" ”

Two days later, Hua Mulan set off for Pingcheng with Li Bao and fifty personal guard cavalry, and Zhao Junsheng was sent thirty miles outside the city.

"Mulan, we have a secret contact point in Pingcheng, mainly used to deliver messages, the speed will be much faster than the normal message transmission speed, if you have something important, you can send someone over, but you don't want to go yourself, even Li Bao and the people close to you can't go, so as not to be exposed!"

"Well, I see! Brother Junsheng, after I leave, you have to eat well, rest on time, and don't be too tired! Mulan admonished.

Zhao Junsheng held Mulan's hand and nodded.

After sending Mulan away, Zhao Junsheng focused on the training of the army, often living in the barracks, eating and living with the soldiers.

A few days later, news came from Pingcheng that the emperor had named Zong Ai as the general, the prince and the prince, the secretary of the central government, the governor of the Chinese and foreign military, and the king of Feng Yi.

This canonization made the subjects of the world stunned, any one of these positions was enough to become an important minister of the imperial court, not to mention that so many positions were all in one.

There is also the official position of "Governor of Chinese and Foreign Military", which means the Chinese army and foreign armies, and this official position is actually the generalissimo of the world's soldiers and horses.

Zhao Junsheng took the secret newspaper slip in his hand and sighed: "Zong Ai is inflated, what kind of trouble is he going to make?" ”

Dongfang Chen took the secret report in Zhao Junsheng's hand and looked at it, and said to Zhao Junsheng: "General, in the opinion of his subordinates, Zongai is only afraid that it will not last long, his foundation is too shallow, but he is so ostentatious, integrating the power of the world, but it also attracts all the hatred of the government and the opposition!" ”

Zhao Junsheng raised his eyebrows, "What does Mr. think General Ben should do?" ”

Dongfang Chen said: "My subordinates think that the general should secretly accumulate strength at this stage and wait for the situation to change!" ”

On February 25, Guo Yi hurriedly reported to Zhao Junsheng: "General, things are not good, the imperial court has ordered the general to send troops to attack Yan State!" The eunuch who announced the decree this time was Jia Zhou, and Jia Zhou was also appointed as the supervisor of the army, supervising the military process of attacking Yan throughout the whole process! ”

Zhao Junsheng couldn't help but stand up, "Have you received any other relevant news, why did the imperial court let me send troops to attack Yan State at this time?" ”

Guo Yi shook his head: "No, no one knows what Zong Ai thinks."

Zhao Junsheng asked Dongfang Chen: "What does Mr. think about this matter?" ”

Dongfang Chen touched his long beard, got up and walked a few steps, turned to Zhao Junsheng and said, "If the subordinates' speculations are good, Zong Ai should have two purposes: first, he already knows that the general is secretly hiding his strength, and wants to use this campaign to weaken Youzhou's military strength; Second, he has too much aura on his body now, but he doesn't have the credit to match it, so he urgently needs a war with a big victory abroad, preferably to capture the Yan Kingdom, so that his merit is enough, and no one dares to underestimate him anymore! ”

Zhao Junsheng's back broke out in a cold sweat, "I'll just say that Zong Ai is insidious, this dead eunuch wants to kill two birds with one stone!" ”

"That's how it should be!"

"What if I procrastinate on the grounds that my troops are weak?"

Dongfang Chen reminded: "General, don't forget, Madame is in Pingcheng now, if the general doesn't obey his orders, I'm afraid that Madame will be in danger!" ”

Zhao Junsheng's expression tightened, he suddenly figured out why Zong Ai wanted to let Mulan go to the capital to perform his duties, it turned out that he wanted to blackmail him with Mulan's safety!