"This Li Ji really doesn't know how to lift," the prince of the East Palace was sleeping, and Li Qing, the head of the chamberlain, said to Li Chengqian with a sharp voice and no anger: "I received a congratulatory gift from His Royal Highness, but I still hooked up with King Wu and a few of them, even the grass on the wall did not do what he did, he was insatiable, two-faced, no wonder the emperor did not want to see him." ”

"Shut up!" Seeing Li Qing's teeth and claws, Wu Mei, who came to take care of the prince as usual, couldn't help but reprimand: "You are a little chamberlain, but you dare to tell right and wrong in front of His Royal Highness the Prince, and talk about important ministers of the court in vain, what are you thinking?" If these words reach the ears of the emperor, who can save your head?! ”

Wu Mei's words are not alarmist, Li Shimin's supervision of eunuchs has always been strict, and the most intolerant of eunuchs interfering in court affairs and discussing courtiers in vain, because of this kind of thing, there are not a few chamberlains who have been imprisoned or beheaded, so in the early Tang Dynasty, especially in the Zhenguan period, the chamberlains in the palace should be regarded as the most regular model among the eunuchs of all dynasties.

knew the rules of the palace, and also knew the emperor's ruthlessness to the chamberlain, so when he heard the reprimand of the crown princess, Li Qing was so frightened that he was trembling, and he no longer felt good about himself just now, and was busy kneeling on the ground, fanning his mouth hard, kowtowing to Li Chengqian and Wu Mei, and sobbing and saying: "The villain has a lot of mouth!" The villain is guilty! The villain is talkative! The villain is guilty! ”

"I know you're thinking about being alone, but don't forget who you are? General Li Ji is an important minister of the imperial court, even if he acts inappropriately, it will not be your turn to judge a small chamberlain. ”

"The villain knows that he is wrong! The villain knows that he is wrong! Without saying half a word begging for mercy, Li Qing just knelt there and kowtowed his head, and after a few clicks, he already saw bright red on his forehead.

"Okay," glanced at Wu Mei meaningfully, Li Chengqian waved his hand to Li Qing and said, "If a person is not a sage, who can be without fault?" Thinking that you are a first-time offender, this time I will not delve into it, and punish you for half a year as a punishment, and go down first! ”

"His Royal Highness Prince Xie! Thank you, Your Royal Highness the Crown Princess! After knocking a few times in a row, Li Qing put his heart in his stomach, this kind of thing can be big or small, if it is big, he will worry about his life, and if it is small, it will not be over, looking at the attitude of His Royal Highness the Prince, it seems that he does not mean to blame, this time, he Li Liquidation is right.

Exiting from the bedroom, Li Qing wiped the sweat and blood stains on his forehead with fear, and then slapped his mouth fiercely, not remembering something! If he can't control this mouth in the future, he Li Qing will die on these two skins sooner or later.

"Li Qing is Lone's henchman, what do you mean by this?" When Li Qing went out, Li Chengqian's face couldn't help but sink, and he looked at the crown princess's face dissatisfied.

"He's too arrogant," Wu Mei's face was as usual, holding a cotton cloth in her small hand, gently dipping it in liquor and wiping it on the wound on Li Chengqian's chest, and said: "If you think you are Your Highness's henchman, you will be unscrupulous and arrogant, if you don't take this opportunity to let him rein in his heart, a little bit of his arrogance will cause His Highness a lot of trouble sooner or later." ”

"How to control your subordinates, you have your own sense of proportion in your lonely heart, and you don't need a woman to point fingers next to you." Glancing at Wu Mei coldly, Li Chengqian said lightly: "When you have nothing to do, go to the queen mother's place to sit down, learn from the queen mother, how to be a good princess and the future queen mother." ”

There are scheming, means, and a lot of power**, if it is a man, it may not be possible to make a big difference, but unfortunately, women are women after all, such as fighting for power and profit, this kind of thing is not suitable for them to do.

Li Chengqian has always felt that his crown princess has too much ambition and too big a heart, and the power of a harem is afraid that she will not be satisfied, so Li Chengqian has always been very wary of this woman, rarely giving her any too good looks, and even more dislikes her pointing fingers in front of her, even if what she said was right.

"The concubine knows her mistake!" Gritting her teeth, Wu Mei's hand kept moving, nodded in response, and said, "Later, the concubine will take Zhao'er to the front of the queen mother of the Lizheng Palace and listen to the queen mother's teaching." ”

Knowing that Li Chengqian didn't like him, even if he gave birth to an imperial grandson, he was still as indifferent as before, Wu Mei also wanted to slap his mouth, didn't he say that he would not be involved in the affairs of the East Palace, why couldn't he hold back just now?

After the wound was wiped off, Wu Mei was sent out of the bedroom by Li Chengqian, and someone called Li Qing back for questioning again.

When Li Qing came in again, the wound on his head had been simply cleaned and bandaged, and the whole person looked much more energetic than Fang Cai.

"When there are outsiders in the future, don't talk nonsense anymore," Glancing up at Li Qing, Li Chengqian said softly: "Otherwise, you yourself will be severely punished, not to mention it, even if you are lonely, I am afraid that you will also be implicated." ”

"Yes, Your Highness, the villain has written it down." Li Qing replied openly, looking at his demeanor, it was obvious that Fang Cai was calm and silent a lot, and it could be seen that Fang Cai's lesson had already had a very good effect.

"Speaking of Li Ji just now," Li Chengqian said, "But the third child also sent someone to the Li Mansion?" ”

"Yes," Li Qing replied respectfully: "When I entered the mansion in the morning, Li Ji personally received him, and it was similar to when the villain went, and he was sent out by Li Ji in less than half an hour." ”

"I thought the third child had changed his personality this time," Li Chengqian's face showed a sneer, and said: "I don't want to, but I have a little more patience, compared to before, he has grown a lot." ”

Li Chengqian is not worried at all about whether Li Ji will join the third child's side, if Li Ji is willing to give in so easily, then he is not worthy of his father's attention to him.

Although Li Chengqian couldn't see what Li Ji was capable of, why he could make his father particularly favored, and even treat him as the secretary of the military department, however, after the repeated reminders of Empress Changsun and Fang Xuanling, Li Chengqian also had a little taboo in his heart about Li Ji.

You can only be friendly, don't be hostile, these are the words of the eldest grandson queen herself.

He can only be loyal to the emperor, and he can only make shallow friends but not deeply, this is Fang Xuanling's opinion through the mouth of Fang's bereavement.

For example, Li Ji, an outgoing general who is not conspicuous on weekdays, can get the same evaluation and value from Empress Changsun and Fang Xuanling, even if Li Chengqian is unreasonable, he also knows what kind of mentality to use when facing Li Ji.

"How's Mihara's behavior?" Anyway, there will be no intersection with Li Ji in a short period of time, so Li Chengqian didn't dwell on this matter, remembering the hidden danger that had been trapping him, he couldn't help but ask Li Qing out loud.

"Back to His Royal Highness the Prince," Li Qing bent over and replied, "Following Mrs. Luo and the two princesses Gao Yang and Yuzhang, the Hubu Shangshu Di Zhixun and his wife also went to Sanyuan this morning and stayed in the Liu Manor for a short time. ”

"Dicterson?" Li Chengqian raised his brows unhappily, he was very displeased with this stubborn old man who did not eat oil and salt, this new head of the household department, because of some taxes and some necessary expenses for repairing the East Palace, but he also refuted his face as the prince of the East Palace more than once.

"What did he do in Mihara?" Li Chengqian was a little upset, why were so many people rushing to gather at Liu Yiyi during this time?

"I don't know the specific purpose," glanced up at Li Chengqian, and Li Qing cautiously replied: "However, according to the villain's analysis, Di Shangshu went to Sanyuan most often to raise money and food. ”

"Well, there's some truth to that." Li Chengqian nodded lightly, although he has been recuperating in the East Palace these days and has never been out of the palace, but what happened in the court, he is very clear about everything, and he also knows a lot about Li Shimin's fact that Di Zhixun and Su Bingren talked together.

The treasury is short of money and food, and the Tang Dynasty is facing a battle, Di Zhixun, as the head of the household, has a lot of responsibility, and it is not surprising that he went out to seek some ways at this time. And the Sanyuan Liu family, not only in Sanyuan, but also in Chang'an, is now a well-known wealthy family, Di Zhixun can put the first knife on them, and it can be regarded as some eyesight.

It's just that although Liu Yiyi is rich, will he be willing to take it out and dedicate it to the court? Li Chengqian shook his head slightly, Liu Yiyi is a smart person, if Di Zhixun speaks, he will not refuse, after all, Di Zhixun represents the imperial court, Liu Yiyi will not be stupid enough to choose to collide with the imperial court because of money, if you want to take it, you can, but if you take more and take less, it will be between the two.

"Ah Da, this is Yantian Ranch?" On the northwest border, on the periphery of Yantian Ranch, a group of men dressed as merchants stopped on horseback to watch, and a bearded man led by him asked the servants beside him in a loud voice: "Where are the horses?" Why haven't you even seen a horse? ”

"Xu had just snowed, and it was not good for domestication, so they all rushed back to the manor to raise livestock." Although he was a little dissatisfied with being asked like this, Ah Da still gave a seemingly reasonable answer.

"!" The bearded man pouted disdainfully and said, "Are the horses raised from livestock still good horses?" The horse that Lao Tzu wants is not used to pull a cart and plow the land, but to go to the battlefield! If the horse in this Yantian Ranch was raised, even if it was Yili, Lao Tzu would not have taken a look! ”

"General Hou is right, it's villain's nonsense." Gritting his teeth, Ah Daqiang endured the resentment in his heart and replied.

"Didn't you come last time? And he also brought back some good-looking war horses," Hou Junji glanced back at Ah Da and said, "Those Eli horses, they won't be the ones who specially took them out to fool you, right?" ”

"General Hou," Ah Da stubbornly looked up at Hou Junji, and said in a strong voice: "Although the villain is not talented, he is not so stupid that he can't distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of the horses, although there are not many horses in Yantian Ranch, but the villain can guarantee that they are definitely the best Yili war horses." ”

"Yantian Ranch is nearly 100 miles in radius, and there are no horses here, which doesn't mean that there are no other places," Ah Dadao: "If General Hou doesn't believe it, he can go forward a little further, and he will definitely not disappoint the general!" ”

"That's good, anyway, it's all at the realm of the realm, and the old man doesn't mind walking a few more steps," Hou Junji glanced at Ah Da coldly and said: "However, if you get to the place, the old man can't see his favorite war horse, even if you are Princess Jin Ye's close attendant, the old man will not be polite to you!" ”

After speaking, ignoring Ah Da's angry look, Hou Jun gathered his horse and whipped his horse, and walked forward again, and the people accompanying him also quickly followed.

"Hou Pifu, let you be arrogant for a while, and when the disaster of the Gaochang war is over, Her Royal Highness the princess ascends the throne, Lao Tzu will settle the account with you!" Ah Da clenched his fists behind him, and after glaring at the group in front of him, he also raised his whip and followed forward.

"Sir, the whistle outside has reported that a caravan has entered the ranch and is hurrying towards the manor." Li Jihe was making a barbecue in the backyard, and before he could eat a bite of meat, he was interrupted by the housekeeper who came in a hurry from outside.

"Did you say hello in advance?" Continuing to smear the seasoning on the chicken wings, Li Jihe asked unhurriedly.

"Not ever!"

"Is there anyone in the caravan who can be recognized?" Put the coated chicken wings on the charcoal rack, and Li Jihe asked again.

"There is a leader of the guards who seems to have been with Princess Gaochang last time." He Wen replied with some uncertainty: "But because the distance is too far, it can't be sure yet, so I can only look at the outline roughly." ”

"You mean Ada?" Li Jihe's hand moved, his eyes flashed, and then he chuckled: "So this time it should be someone from Gaochang?" That's kind of interesting. ”

"Master, do you want to send someone to stop them, you can't just let them run rampant in the ranch like this, right?" Seeing that their owner didn't seem to care, still roasting his chicken wings leisurely, He Wen couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"Well, everyone who comes is a guest, so you should send someone to introduce you." Flipping over the wings that had been roasted a little golden in front of him, Li Jihe swallowed his saliva, waved his hand at He Wen a little impatiently, and said, "You can arrange these things, and then report to me after bringing people to the village." ”

"Got it, sir!" Speechless, He Wen turned around and went out.

Half an hour later.

Li Jihe, who was full of drinks, finally waited for the report of the housekeeper He Wen, and a group of Gaochang businessmen, including Ah Da, arrived.

"Huh? Waiting for the king? Walking into the living room and seeing the bearded man sitting in the hall with a big axe, Li Jihe's figure couldn't help but be shocked, didn't he wait for Junji to rush over in person?

"Huh?" Hearing someone call out his name, Hou Junji's face sank, and he looked at Li Jihe with a fierce look: "You are the owner of this ranch?" Do you recognize the old man? ”

Since he was recognized, there was no need to hide it anymore, and while speaking, Hou Junji's fingers moved slightly, and he made a readiness to be ready to extinguish his mouth at any time to his henchmen who accompanied him. No matter how you say that this is also the territory of the Tang Dynasty, he is a traitorous fugitive, so he is naturally more cautious.

"Hahaha, in the past, I was the famous Duke of Lu in the Tang Dynasty, how could Ji not recognize it?" Pretending not to see Hou Junji's small movements, Li Jihe laughed and bowed his hand to Hou Junji, and said loudly: "Ji He, isn't it the person in charge of this ranch who has seen General Hou!" ”

"The old man doesn't remember seeing you!" Hou Junji's face remained unchanged, and he still looked at Ji He with some vigilance.

"Ji is just a one-price businessman, and he has no chance to fight for the general to see him," Li Jihe disagreed, and explained with a chuckle: "The reason why Ji was able to recognize the identity of the general was only because when he was trading and living in Chang'an, he was fortunate to see the general on the street a few times. At that time, the general was in high spirits, and he would not pay attention to a small businessman on the street, so it was not surprising that General Hou said that he had never seen Ji. ”

When Hou Junji was in Chang'an, he was also very arrogant, often galloping on the streets, and there were really not a few merchants and vendors who had seen and knew him, so after listening to Ji He's explanation, Hou Junji's heart was a little relaxed.

"I don't know why General Hou is here?" Seeing that Hou Junji's face was slightly softened, Li Jihe slowly walked to the opposite chair and sat down, and then looked at Hou Junji calmly and said: "It's not Ji Mou's mouth, the general's current identity is not very bright, if there is nothing important, Ji Mou will not dare to let the general stay in the house for a long time." ”

Hearing Li Jihe's mention like this, it made Hou Junji let down a little guard, raised his hand and waved at his subordinates, Hou Junji glanced at Li Jihe with interest, and said: "The master of Ji is very courageous, but he doesn't look like an ordinary businessman?" ”

"Hehe," Li Jihe chuckled indifferently, and then looked at Hou Junji and said, "If General Hou is interested in Ji's life experience, he might as well send someone to investigate afterwards, Ji doesn't mind." Now, General Hou may indicate the purpose of this trip? ”

"Good!" Hou Junji slapped the table suddenly, and laughed loudly: "The owner of the Ji field is also a cheerful person, and Hou Mou will not beat around the bush." ”

"The old man wants to buy Yili's war horse!" Hou Junji said: "I heard that Brother Ji has a reserve here, I don't know how much Brother can supply now?" ”

"Then it depends on how much silver money you have prepared General Hou," without a little strange meaning, Li Jihe comfortably crossed Erlang's legs, and said to Hou Junji unhurriedly: "In principle, as long as General Hou can get enough money, Ji can provide you with a corresponding number of horses, so how many horses can be provided by the field mainly depends on General Hou's financial resources." ”

"Money is not an issue!" Hou Junji waved his hand disapprovingly, and said without any weakness: "Although my Gaochang is not rich, it is also a country, not to mention more, thirty or fifty thousand horses can still be afforded." ”

"Of course, the premise is that the horses in your field must be usable and live up to the prestige of Yili's war horses," Hou Junji said softly: "Otherwise, no matter how cheap the price is, the old man will not take a look." ”

"The horses in our place are all for war, and they will not disappoint General Hou." Understanding the meaning of Hou Junji's words, Li Jihe stood up lightly and asked Hou Junji in a loud voice: "If General Hou doesn't believe it, you can go with Ji to have a look." ”

"That's what I mean!" Hou Junji, who was about to take this opportunity to see the reality of Yantian Ranch, would not shirk it, got up and stretched out his hand to Ji He and said, "Brother Ji, please first!" ”