There is nothing special about this celebration banquet except that the scale is larger than the last time, Xuan Shaoning just casually put some dishes into his mouth, but he was bored in his heart, he just wanted to end it quickly, and left the banquet with the opportunity to relieve himself, and came to the garden outside the Lizheng Hall alone. Behind the Lizheng Hall is the harem, and the men of the Liang Dynasty are not allowed to enter the harem without permission, and those who violate the order will be beheaded, so Xuan Shaoning does not dare to move around at will, so he can only sit down under a golden laurel tree and look at the starry sky in a daze.

At this time, the golden cinnamon has not yet bloomed, and the vast night sky can be seen through the bare branches, and the noise not far away is still endless, but here Xuan Shaoning feels a short and rare peace.

"Although the night sky here is not as good as Mobei, it is good to be able to watch it alone." Xuan Shaoning said to himself.

"No one has ever dared to say that the Imperial City is not as good as Mobei!" A voice like a gentle warbler appeared behind Xuan Shaoning, and he was so startled that he hurriedly got up and turned around, only to see a woman in a pink gauze dress slowly walking out of the shadows, it was Princess Yunxuan.

"See the princess!" Xuan Shaoning reacted extremely quickly and immediately saluted.

"There are no others here, so I don't have to show these false gifts." Princess Yunxuan didn't wait for Xuan Shaoning to defend herself, and took a step closer to him, but her eyes were looking at the starry sky, "You and me, just talk." ”

Xuan Shaoning's mind was spinning fast at this time, compared to the amazing feeling he had when he saw her for the first time, he was even more nervous now, he understood that since the princess would send him the amulet, he would not harm him in the future. But Princess Yunxuan is Emperor Liang's treasure, and if she gets along alone like this, if she is seen, it will be a trouble.

Princess Yunxuan waited for a while, and saw that Xuan Shaoning did not react, and said with a little disappointment: "I thought you were different from them, look at your current performance........ It turns out that it's the same. ”

"Disappointed the princess." Xuan Shaoning didn't want to defend himself.

"Is the amulet still there?"

"In ......" Xuan Shaoning subconsciously touched his chest.

Princess Yunxuan smiled unconsciously, under the moonlight, her smile seemed to have a kind of magic that attracted Xuan Shaoning, although he tried his best to lower his head to show respect, but he couldn't help but gradually raise his head, just one glance, her figure could no longer be erased from Xuan Shaoning's heart.

"I believe in my own eyes, I believe that you are different from them, I believe in ......" Speaking of this, Princess Yunxuan couldn't help but stop, paused and continued: "Congratulations on your promotion!" ”

"Thank you, princess!"

"But I know it's far from what you want." The words were so startled that Xuan Shaoning's vest faintly oozed beads of sweat. What is the meaning of this statement? Does she know anything?

"We'll see you again." Princess Yunxuan winked mischievously, turned around and trotted into the darkness.

Xuan Shaoning really didn't understand what this princess was thinking and what she knew, so he reached into his chest and tightened the talisman.

"Shaoning, you are here, we are still looking for you everywhere!" Duan Lang ran over with crimson cheeks, and before the person arrived, the smell of wine on his body had already wafted into Xuan Shaoning's nose.

"You've drunk too much, haven't you?" Xuan Shaoning asked with some concern.

"It's okay, you see he's still awake." Shi Gong Zhengyuan held Duan Lang, "It's you, you left the banquet without permission, can you be guilty?" What is a man running here for? ”

"I just don't like the hustle and bustle of the scene, I just want to be quiet for a while." Xuan Shaoning did not say anything about meeting Princess Yunxuan.

"Let's go back and rest early, King Yu will start recruiting troops tomorrow, and we will be busy then."

"Good!"

At that time, the whole capital had gradually quieted down, and people fell asleep.

Candles were still lit in the study room in King Yu's mansion, and the not bright firelight stretched the shadow of the man struggling to write.

Xuan Shaoning stood on the side of the bed, looking at the emperor cherry in his yard, feeling that he seemed to be two people, one was deliberately trying to achieve his goal, while the other was always thinking about Bai Luoyao and Princess Yunxuan, Xuan Shaoning couldn't help but slap himself and force himself to be sober.

King Xiang was also not sleepy at this time.

"Now that King Yu is already hot, it seems that His Majesty is very important.......

"This king asked you to come here to think of countermeasures, not to say cool words!" Although King Xiang didn't turn around, the anger in Ling Yan's tone couldn't be hidden.

"Your Highness is angry, it's time for us to take action, just wait for His Highness's consent."

"Let's do it!" Three simple and clear words, King Xiang did not hesitate.

King Ling picked up the wine cup, and a clear bottle of wine was slowly poured into the cup, "King Xiang must be more anxious than me, I guess, he should have made a move recently, we just need to wait to watch the play." King Ling seemed to be talking to himself.

"We will wait for His Royal Highness the King of Ling's orders at any time!" I don't know when, a gray shadow man stood behind King Ling, but King Ling was not at all guarded, as if he trusted this person very much.

"There will be a time when it will be useful to you."

"The six departments are waiting for His Highness to dispatch!"

Xuancheng has turned from the hustle and bustle of the day to tranquility at this moment, but many people have no sleep this night, each with their own concerns.

Early the next morning, Xuan Shaoning got up, washed up, practiced a set of exercises in his small courtyard, and then began to prepare for the recruitment of the Xuanjia Army. He didn't know why King Yu handed over the power of this matter to himself, it seems that after Song Mi was assassinated, he slowly gained the trust of King Yu, because of his outstanding performance in the two battles? Or is it something else? I didn't have a clue for a while.

"Hey, what do you want to do so much, let's do a good job of recruiting!" Xuan Shaoning reminded himself, pulled his legs and went to King Yu's study.

King Yu is no longer the same day at this time, no longer the original rather cold county king, these days to visit the guests are about to step on the threshold of the palace, but King Yu is no one, only let Uncle Zhang smile with a sentence "King Yu has entered the palace" in the future people blocked the door, congratulatory gifts are also a confiscation. Xuan Shaoning naturally knew that King Yu did not enter the palace, but hid in the study alone.

Knock, Xuan Shaoning knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in!"

Xuan Shaoning pushed the door and entered, only to see that the manuscripts on King Yu's desk had been piled up, and King Yu's eyes were blue, thinking that he hadn't had a good rest these days.

"General, the last general is for recruitment. According to the fact that each guard has a commander, there are still 20,000 soldiers, although the number is not much, but it is not less, and the king of Yu is still decided. ”

"I have also calculated, 20,000 is the bottom line, since the emperor has spoken, these numbers are to be recruited."

"For the sake of the long term, can you take this opportunity to recruit more?"

"No, now the Xuanjia Army is too bare-handed, too many pairs of eyes are staring, we can't overstep it, otherwise it will ......"

"The last general understands!"

It seems that King Yu can see more thoroughly and farther than himself, Xuan Shaoning felt a little self-blame in his heart, but this feeling quickly dissipated.

"I will give you full responsibility for this recruitment, and the Xuanjia soldiers currently in the capital can be dispatched by you."

"Thank you, General, the last general will definitely go all out!"

"But before we start, I have to visit Cai Xiang and Cao Shangshu."

Although this recruitment was approved by Emperor Liang, there was no need to inform Cai Xiang, but King Yu still felt that this trip was indispensable; And Cao Zijing is the secretary of the military department of the current dynasty, so naturally he also needs to be checked. With the degree of favor and the status of the prince of King Yu in front of Emperor Liang now, King Yu's actions are still thorough, step by step, which really taught Xuan Shaoning a good lesson.

In the afternoon, King Yu's carriage drove to the military department Shangshu Mansion, the carriage was slightly bumpy, King Yu sat in the middle and closed his eyes to recuperate, while Xuan Shaoning sat on the side seat, looking closer and closer to the military department Shangshu Mansion from a distance, and couldn't help asking: "This Cao Shangshu matter, the last general has heard a little about it......

In today's Liang court, Emperor Liang is old, and the prince, King Xiang, and King Ling are three-legged, so the ministers of the court and the central government also have their own sides, and King Xiang and King Ling are not less secretly wooed, but Cao Zijing, the secretary of the military department who holds the military power, is impartial, maintains neutrality, and declares that he is only loyal to Emperor Liang. Xuan Shaoning's words made King Yu open his eyes.

"Cao Shangshu has followed the former general Pei Wei to fight on the battlefield since he was a child, and has accumulated great military exploits, and he can get the position of the military department Shangshu all by his own knife and gun, and today there are still rumors about his outstanding achievements in the Liang army, and I have also listened to the story of Cao Shangshu since I was a child. By the way, the father of General Pei Wei is Pei Ye, the leading general in the Battle of Wolf Mountain more than 80 years ago. ”

After listening to King Yu's words, Xuan Shaoning finally understood the reason why Cao Shangshu was deeply valued by Emperor Liang, and no one could touch him at will.

At this time, the carriage slowly stopped, and the coachman said through the curtain: "Back to Your Highness, Shangshu Mansion has arrived." ”

Lifting the curtain, King Yu jumped out of the car first, Xuan Shaoning followed closely, the regulations of the Shangshu Mansion in front of him were decent, a pair of stone lions in front of the door had been weathered for a long time, the vermilion lacquer door was already mottled, and the door knocker was a little patina, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like the momentum that a person of Cao Zijing's status should have.

Squeak, the vermilion lacquer door opened, and the three of them walked out, the first one was very popular, only the frost-dyed sideburns revealed their age, and they walked very steadily. "Those who practice martial arts!" Xuan Shaoning estimated that this person might be Cao Zijing.

"Cao has seen His Royal Highness King Yu!"

"Lord Cao is so polite, I didn't expect Cai Xiang to be there!" While Wang Yu helped Cao Zijing up, he also nodded to Cai Quan, who was standing behind Cao Zijing.

"See His Royal Highness King Yu! The old man came to discuss with Lord Cao on something, and he had just arrived, but he didn't expect to meet His Royal Highness. ”

"Oh? This king came this time to discuss the conscription, and he wanted to discuss it with Lord Cao. ”

"Ah, I don't want to think of going together, the old man is also here for this!"

"Coincidentally, this king was going to visit Cai Xiang later, so it saved a lot of things!"

"Since they are all here for conscription, then you might as well go into the house and talk in detail, here, if someone sees it, it should be said that Weichen is not considerate."

"Haha, Lord Cao is really good at laughing, then we'll listen to Lord Cao!"

"Hurry up and get ready!"

"Yes!" The last person behind Cao Zijing was obviously the butler, and he disappeared in a flash.

After some greetings, several people finally came to the study of Shangshu Mansion. Xuan Shaoning was a little absent-minded about such greetings, and in his opinion, these pretentiousness was a waste of time.

As soon as Fang sat down, King Yu spoke first: "The emperor has already allowed my Xuanjia Army to expand its army, and the edict has also come down to me, after all, conscription is not a trivial matter, and it still needs to be discussed carefully with the two adults." ”

"Now that there is an edict from the emperor, the matter of conscription is also fully handed over to His Royal Highness King Yu, although His Royal Highness commands, His Majesty will definitely give full support!" Cao Zijing is obviously also a pragmatic person, and he is very simple.

"Having said that, after all, conscription involves the Ministry of War, and it still needs to be informed to Lord Cao."

"Thank you, Your Highness! What is the number of soldiers Your Highness is preparing for conscription this time? How long is the term? How much does the silver cost a lot? "I asked three questions in a row.

"The number of people is 20,000, so naturally the sooner the better, and it will be completed before the New Year, and as for the silver taels, we still need to discuss with the household department." After Wang Yu finished speaking, he glanced at Cai Xiang meaningfully, and when he saw that the other party's expression was as usual, he withdrew his gaze.

"Only 20,000?" Cao Zijing was a little surprised, "Your Highness, it is so rare for the emperor to agree to expand the army this time, but this number is too small?" ”

"It's not a secret, this king just hopes to get together the number of the four guards, a strong army is first focused on quality, followed by quantity, 20,000, is enough."

"Your Highness is really thoughtful, no wonder the Xuanjia Army has never been defeated so far, and His Highness has led the army well. Since His Royal Highness only needs 20,000, the lower officials will definitely help His Highness to obtain 20,000 elite soldiers. ”

"Thank you, Lord Cao!"

"Your Highness, the old man is also here for the purpose of conscription, and the old man doesn't understand how to fight in battle, and he can't help His Highness, so it's really embarrassing. However, the old man can help with the matter of silver. Cai Xiang, who had not spoken, finally spoke.

Cai Xiang's opening really surprised King Yu, Cai Quan, as the prime minister, although he has always been unclear, and he is also respectful to several princes, but he has never been in contact with King Yu, and this time he offered to help, and King Yu was a little uncertain for a while.

Cai Xiang seemed to see King Yu's hesitation, and then continued: "Now is the world of great controversy, how many years, our Liang has been squeezed by the Tang Dynasty and Xiliang, lost the country, injured the people, how many hot-blooded men buried their loyal bones?" How many Chinese wives have been separated and uprooted from their homes? The more Cai Xiang spoke, the more excited he became, and when it came to emotion, tears appeared in the corners of his eyes, "Fortunately, there is a Xuanjia Army!" The seizure of Payunzhai and the recovery of Yinzhou have greatly boosted the morale of the people! Now that the emperor has finally made up his mind to expand the army, the old man has mixed feelings, and this military salary can be handed over to the old man, I don't know if King Yu can trust me? ”

was suddenly asked by Cai Xiang, and King Yu replied with a little gratitude: "Cai Xiang's words are serious, how can this king not trust Cai Xiang?" Cai Xiang has been doing his best for the country's social welfare for so many years, and this king has been worried about military salaries before, but he never thought that Cai Xiang would help him, and he is grateful! ”

When His Royal Highness said this, the old man was relieved. His Royal Highness's recruitment is urgent, and the old man will go to the household department at this moment. ”

"It's really Lao Caixiang!" King Yu got up and sent Cai Quan to the door of Shangshu Mansion, and only when the sedan chair was far away did he restrain his smile.

"Your Highness's trip is quite fruitful, so your Highness will not delay Your Highness." Cao Zijing made a gesture of sending off guests.

King Yu said indifferently: "Okay, Lord Cao, please go back, this king will go first." ”

Just when King Yu walked past Cao Zijing's side, Cao Zijing suddenly came to King Yu's ear, and after a very short whisper, he turned around and went back to the house with an unchanged expression. All this happened very quickly, Rao is Xuan Shaoning reacted sensitively, and by the time he came to King Yu, everything was over.

"General?"

"Let's go!"

Xuan Shaoning looked back at the empty courtyard of Shangshu Mansion and immediately jumped into the carriage.