――Time goes back to February 18, the 23rd year of Hongwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Jijing——

On February 18, the 23rd year of Hongwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was the last day of the [Hongwu] year name established by the Great Zhou Emperor Li Ji, and the next day, the new emperor Li Shou of the Great Zhou Dynasty was going to be the first early dynasty, and officially changed the year name to [Jingzhi], which meant the complete end of the Great Zhou [Hongwu Zhizhi].

The rule of Hongwu began with the Great Zhou Emperor Li Ji personally led a large army to destroy the Southern Tang Dynasty: at that time, the Great Zhou Emperor Li Ji, who was in his thirties and in the prime of life, personally led an army of 20,000 to attack Jinling, and called the East Road Zhou Division led by Liang Qiu Gan, the Duke of Dongguo, and the East Road Zhou Division led by the Hou Liang Qiu Gong of Dongzhen to attack Jiangdong, and the West Road Zhou Division led by Lu Song, the Duke of the Southern Kingdom, to attack Jingzhou, and the three roads went hand in hand.

After that, the three armies converged in the Jiangnan Tiger Forest, and forced Liu Sheng, the emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty who fled along the river, to die in the Jiangnan Tiger Forest, thus ending the battle that lasted for more than two years, and the Great Zhou Dynasty was finally able to dominate the world.

But unfortunately, I don't know whether it is affected by this era name, during the Hongwu period of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it can be said that it was a turbulent era, and there were Beirong Wuhuan disturbances in the northeast, killing, burning and looting; In the northwest, there were Qiang clans who disobeyed discipline and gathered people to rebel; Wu Yue sometimes had the people of Dongyi and Yue to make rebellion, and there were also Southern Barbarian soldiers in Shu who pointed to the Great Zhou.

In the years when he was the emperor, Li Ji raised troops more than 20 times before and after, led the elite soldiers of the Central Plains and Hebei, and went to the battlefield in person. But for this, he also paid a heavy price, for example, Liang Qiugong, the eldest son of Liang Qiu Qian of Donggong Mansion, Liang Qiu Wu's uncle, and Liang Qiu Gong, the Marquis of Dongzhen, died of illness on the way to conquer Wuhuan.

I thought that in this way, I would be able to achieve peace in the world, but I didn't want to Hongwu for six years, Xue Ren, an old minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, raised troops in Taiping, called himself [Taiping Army], and the Quartet was supported by hundreds of people in the south of the Yangtze River. He resolutely led the army to attack the cities in the south of the Yangtze River, causing many cities led by Jinling to fall.

At that time, Liang Qiu, the second son of Liang Qiu, the former Marquis of Dongzhen, the younger brother of Liang Qiu Gong, and the biological father of Liang Qiu Wu, attacked the title of Marquis of Dongzhen, led the army to attack Xue Ren three times, and finally killed him in Wuhu. Countless Taiping rebels were forced into the lake and drowned, so that the Taiping army, which had more than 100,000 people earlier, collapsed through this, however, Liang Qiujing, who was the commander of the Eastern Army at that time, also died on the battlefield, and it is said that he was wounded by a stray arrow and died.

At the same time, Li Ji had captured Jinling with Lu Song, the Duke of Nanguo. Suddenly heard the news from the front, Yandong Town, Hou Liangqiujing, died on the battlefield, his heart was furious, and he resolutely ordered. Block the gates of Jinling and call the southern army to slaughter the city, but those who have and hide the spiritual seat of Liu Sheng, the emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, do not ask the reason. Kill on the spot, so that Jinling, a heavy city in the south of the Yangtze River, has ten rooms and nine emptiness. Even, Li Ji even asked the local officials in Jiangnan to arrest the rebels of the Taiping Army, capture them and kill them on the spot, and cut off their heads and dedicate them to Jijing.

Although Prime Minister Yingong, who later learned about the incident, hurried to Jinling and asked Li Ji to take back his life, there are still many innocent people who have been framed as the Taiping Army's chaotic party, and some of the original happy families have become fragmented and broken, among them, there is Xie An's current wife, Jin Ling'er.

However, for more than ten years, there were frequent rebellions in Jiangnan, and the Taiping army was inexhaustible.

During the Hongwu period, it can be described as a turbulent era, and it is also the era when the four towns of Jijing such as Donggongfu and Nangongfu became famous in the world, and now the change of the name of the year, for the old generations such as Liangqiu Gong, Yin Gong, and Kong, it is tantamount to the end of their glorious era, and what is coming is that it belongs to the younger generation of the Great Zhou.

And this sentence also applies to Nanguo Gong Lu Song......

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty has died? ”

When he learned of this, Lü Gong and more than 8,000 surviving southern troops had just crossed the border of Anping, that is, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and had not yet arrived at the national capital of Jijing.

But even so, Duke Lu was still a step late, not only did he not see the last face of the emperor Li Ji he served, but he also did not see the funeral procession, when he rushed to the palace in a hurry, what he saw was only the court of things and people.

After talking with Liang Qiu Gong and Yin Gong, and knowing the general situation of the whole thing, Lu Song returned to his mansion with some discouragement, Nanguo Gong Lu Mansion.

As Xie An guessed when he saw Lu Gong at his wedding banquet, Lu Gong, who had just returned to his home, was in a very low mood, which made Su Wan, the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, who heard that Lu Gong went to greet him, quite puzzled.

"Father-in-law, haven't you ever encountered the funeral guard going to the imperial tomb?"

Lu Gong shook his head and said with a wry smile, "[One step late] Lu Gongbo...... I remember that many years ago, some people with good deeds compared the old man with Bo Xuan, jokingly calling the two of us [Liang Qiu Yan in battle, Lu Gongbo one step late]...... At that time, the old man was quite displeased, but now that he looks at it, it is not wrong, the old man always comes one step late in his life...... I didn't see the last side of Fan'er before, and now, I haven't seen the last side of Your Majesty......"

"......" Su Wan opened her mouth, wanted to speak and stopped, and finally bowed her head and remained silent.

Seeing that the widowed daughter-in-law was silent, Lu Gong also knew that he was speechless, coughed, barely piled up a few smiles, and changed the topic and said, "Don't talk about this!" - By the way, Wan'er, how are you doing these days when the old man is not in Beijing? ”

Su Wan nodded and said softly, "My father-in-law is not in Beijing, and my daughter-in-law is in charge of the family business, and my daughter-in-law doesn't dare to slack off...... At the end of last year, the daughter-in-law asked the people in the house to get a storefront house on Fucheng Street, opened a shop, and asked people to get good brocade from Hanzhong, Xishu and other places, and asked craftsmen to cut clothes, and sell them to Beijing officials and nobles, prudent management, quite surplus, money and expenditure, all recorded in the account, and the daughter-in-law took it and asked her father-in-law to take a look......

Seeing that her daughter-in-law Su Wan was about to get up and get the account book, Lu Gong hurriedly called out to her, and said with a wry smile, "You kid...... I've worked hard for you these days, and all the businesses of my Lu family have to be handled by you alone......"

Su Wan lowered her head and said softly. "What did my father-in-law say, I am the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, so I should be like this......"

Looking at his daughter-in-law's obedient appearance, Gong Chang Lu let out a long sigh and muttered, "My son is so blessed...... I'm so blessed......"

Although Lu Gong's words seemed a little incoherent, as long as he knew what happened to the Lu family, it was not difficult for him to understand the true meaning of Lu Gong's words.

Looking deeply at his daughter-in-law's slightly haggard face, Lu Gong felt a sour feeling in his heart. Good words said, "Good boy, now that the old man has returned to Jijing, you can rest and make a living at home." There is an old man to worry about...... Speaking of this, Lu Gong seemed to suddenly think of something, and said with a smile, "By the way, when I entered the city, the old man heard that when the new emperor was in the early dynasty tomorrow, Xiao An would want the two girls from the Liangqiu family and the eldest grandson's family to get married...... That kid is finally starting a family! ”

"......" Su Wan pursed her lips. Biting his lip lightly, he kept his head down and didn't speak.

Seeing this, Lu Gong was stunned and said strangely. "Didn't that kid send an invitation?"

"......" Su Wan opened her mouth, stopped talking, and then shook her head silently.

"That stinky boy!" Lu Gong frowned, and then sighed secretly.

It's not that Gong Lu is angry at Xie An for being so faceless. On the contrary, Duke Lu knew very well why Xie An did not send an invitation to his Lu family. The reason is that when Lu Gong was not in Jijing and his son Lu Fan died, it was indeed a little inappropriate to invite the widowed Su Wan to the wedding banquet, and in a sense, Xie An was also well-intentioned.

can be clear, when he sees his well-behaved daughter-in-law who he loves a lot, he is disappointed, and Lu Gong will inevitably be angry with Xie An in his heart.

"It doesn't matter! - Tomorrow you go with the old man, the old man will not believe it, that kid will blow out my father-in-law and daughter-in-law! Lu Gong said with a hearty smile, after all, he knew very well that Xie An was just to avoid embarrassment, so he didn't send invitations to his Lu family.

"This ...... I'm afraid it's a little inappropriate......"

"What's out of place! - That's it! With a wave of his hand, Lu Gong made up his mind.

Facts have proved that the arrival of Lu Gong made Xie An quite surprised and happy, and asked Lu Gong again and again when he would return to Jijing, but for Su Wan, the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, Xie An still seemed to be so angry, but fortunately, at that time, Li Shou's wife, the current queen Wang, invited Su Wan to the banquet set up for the guests and daughters in the inner house.

But because of this, Lu Gong's purpose of asking his daughter-in-law to go to the wedding banquet was not achieved.

In the next few days, Lu Gong handed over the task of expanding the southern army to Lin Zhen and others, the generals of the Lu family's era, and immersed himself in the family's finances, although he didn't want to admit it, but in fact, the Lu family was indeed not as good as before, although it still held the glorious name of one of the [four towns], but the only son Lu Fan died on the battlefield, and he Lu Gong was defeated in Hangu Pass, which made the reputation of the Lu family plummet, and what was worse was that Li Ji, the son of the day before yesterday, died suddenly.

Although the new emperor Li Shou is also close to the Lu family, in the final analysis, it is just that the emperor Li Shou is friendly with Xie An, and Xie An has some relationship with the Lu family, that's all, in general, it is not more important than when Li Ji, the son of the previous day, was in office.

For this reason, Duke Lü, one of the four towns, will inevitably begin to think about the future family business, after all, the old ministers of the court such as Liang Qiu Gong, Duke Yin, and Kong, who are similar to his age, have gradually begun to fade out of the center of court power, and the central figures in the court are the imperial power party headed by the young emperor Li Shou, the young powerful courtier Xie An, and the prime minister's faction headed by the eighth son of the emperor and the king of the eight sages, Li Xian, who is mixed around some light and strong ministers, although the Duke of Lu is only more than forty years, but he can't pull his face.

In terms of age, Lu Gong is less than the upper and more than the lower, as a hero of the same era as Liang Qiugong, Lu Gong's current situation is not embarrassing.

In the process of thinking about the family business, Lu Gong was very surprised to find that the daughter-in-law of his Lu family was not only virtuous, but also quite good at financial management, no wonder, after all, she was born the daughter of the wealthy Su family in Guangling, and she was naturally good at business.

can recall the haggard face of his daughter-in-law that day, but Lu Gong couldn't bear to impose such a heavy burden on her, after all, this daughter-in-law is twenty years old and in the prime of life, how can she be asked to go back and forth between account books and income and expenditure?

"Wan'er, taking advantage of the good weather these days, why don't you go out for a walk?"

How many times, Lu Gong persuaded his virtuous daughter-in-law like this, after all, as far as he knew, since he left Jijing, Su Wan except for occasionally going to the vicinity of Fucheng Street to inspect the shops under the name of the Lu family when he was running the family business, the rest of the days were not out of the door, and the second door was not stepped, and he was in the study all day long to calculate the profit of the day and the month. Therefore, Lu Gong hoped that this well-behaved and virtuous daughter-in-law could take advantage of this period to have a good rest, but it was a pity that no matter how he persuaded her, Su Wan still stuffed herself in the house.

Considering the reason, Lu Gong can also understand, after all, Su Wan is a person from Guangling, and she has no relatives and friends in Jijing, if you want to say that there is such a person, that is the powerful person in the court today. Xie An, a member of the first product and the secretary of the Criminal Department, after all, it was Xie An who brought the unfortunate Su Wan to Jijing, and there was a deep bond between the two.

But Lu Gong also knows that since his only son Lu Fan married Su Wan. Xie An and Su Wan can be said to be strangers, not surprisingly, Su Wan, who has always adhered to etiquette and kept to herself, will never go to see Xie An, but Xie An will never come to see Su Wan.

Therefore, under the pretext of inviting Xie An to his Lu family for a family banquet, Duke Lu invited Xie An to the house.

……

……

"What? Accompany her to the street for a walk? ”

I heard Lu Gong's request. Xie An's face was full of astonishment, and Su Wan of the Lu family in the opposite seat was also surprised, but Gou Gong lowered his head as if he hadn't heard anything, and ate in a muffled voice. It's just that there is a faint cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

"Ah," looking at Xie An's stunned expression, Lu Gong smiled bitterly and nodded. "During the days when the old man was not in Jijing, he relied on Wan'er to run the family business. Now that the old man has returned home, he will let the child rest for a while, and you have seen it, it is much more haggard than at the beginning......"

"......" Xie An subconsciously looked at Su Wan when she heard this, Su Wan was shocked and hurriedly lowered her head.

Seeing that Xie An didn't say a word, Lu Gong smiled and said, "Wan'er doesn't have any relatives and friends in Jijing, so if you insist on talking to anyone, it's you...... As far as the old man knows, you two haven't spoken for more than a year, right? ”

Xie An smiled slightly and said, "Didn't you say it when the kid got married a few days ago? Lu Gong was also present at that time......"

"Xiao An, you should know that the old man is not referring to those politeness!" Looking at Xie An deeply, Gong Lu sighed and said bitterly, "What happened back then, it was my Lu family who lost it, but even so, the old man really didn't want you two to be strangers......

Xie An frowned when he heard this, and after thinking about it for a while, he said, "That's it, Rong Xiaozi will go back to the house and tell the insiders about it, Xiangyu likes to play the most on weekdays, and he won't refuse to ...... in the future."

"Not necessarily ......" Gou Gong next to him whispered a strange sentence, and when he looked up, he noticed Xie An's angry eyes, and hurriedly lowered his head and ate wine and food.

But also, you must know that Liang Qiu Wu, the eldest grandson Xiangyu, and Jin Ling'er knew that Su Wan was Xie An's unforgettable woman so far, and they guarded against this matter like a thief, it is conceivable that if Su Wan really went out with Liang Qiu Wu and other women, it would definitely not be called a distraction, it is not difficult to imagine that the girls will definitely try their best to inquire about the matter between the two, Liang Qiu Wu and Jin Ling'er are okay, the worst thing is undoubtedly to bump into the eldest grandson Xiangyu, who knows what this calculating woman will do?

"Gong ...... Father-in-law," biting his lip and glancing at Xie An with complicated eyes, Su Wan lowered her head and whispered, "Father-in-law's kind daughter-in-law has a heart, but Xiao An ...... It's just that Lord Xie is newly married, and his daughter-in-law is ...... There are many inconveniences in this matter......" The word [father-in-law] in the words is very vague.

"Master Xie...... Hum! Xie An snorted lightly and drank a glass of wine in his cup, seeing this, Su Wan's face darkened and lowered her head.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward, although Lu Gong had already expected it, he couldn't imagine that the two of them were strangers to such a point.

Looking at his daughter-in-law's faintly sad face, Lu Gong pondered, looked at Xie An and said, "Xiao An, let's just give the old man a face!" - If you agree to this, then what Chen Bei did, the old man will never mention again in the future! ”

Xie An was taken aback when he heard this, and looked at Lu Gong in disbelief, of course he knew what Lu Gong was referring to.

Seeing Xie An's shocked face, Lu Gong continued, "The old man asked Bo Xuan a few days ago, and he has admitted it...... If the old man doesn't let go, the Liang Qiu family will never cover up this matter! ――As far as the old man knows, you have a very good relationship with your brother-in-law Chen Bei, and you don't want to see his cousin or sister for the sake of a deceased ...... The deceased have to face each other, right? ――The old man also knows that people cannot be resurrected after death, and it is more important to be alive than those who have died, but this debt must be repaid by the Liangqiu family! ”

"Favor debt?" Su Wan looked at Lu Gong suspiciously, but it was a pity that Lu Gong didn't explain, no, it should be said that he didn't know how to explain.

Hearing what Lu Gong said, Xie An was silent, it stands to reason that Chen Bei, the son-in-law of the Liang Qiu family, killed Lu Fan, the son of the Lu family, and it is definitely difficult to stop this matter easily, and now Lu Gong has taken the initiative to let go, which is naturally the best, after all, Liang Qiu Gong is also reluctant to take full responsibility for this matter with his grandson Chen Bei, and one life will pay for one life, but the problem is ......

"......" glanced at Su Wan silently, and Xie An frowned deeply.

To be honest, if he could, Xie An didn't want to have anything to do with this woman anymore, not that he hated her, on the contrary, he was protecting her, after all, there was too much controversy about the identities of the two, but the incense bait released by Lu Gong made Xie An have to take the bait obediently.

After all, in Xie An's opinion, if Lu Gong's side took the initiative to tolerate what Chen Bei had committed, maybe Liang Qiuwu's side would also stop a little, and when he saw his cousin Chen Bei again, he would be able to say a few common words calmly, instead of immediately raising a knife and fighting.

"Well, it's a deal! ――When? Looking at Gong Lu deeply, Xie An nodded in response to the matter.

"Hmm," Lu Gong thought for a while, and said with a smile, "The third day of the first month of next month ......"

"The third day of next month?" Xie An looked at Lu Gong with a puzzled expression.

As if seeing Xie Anxin's doubts, Lu Gong chuckled and said, "The third day of the third month of March is the Shangsi Festival...... To tell the truth, the old man sent out the invitation yesterday, in fact, he didn't expect you to come today, according to the old man's thoughts, most of you will delay for a few days, think about it, in this way, the old man called you in advance, but it will not miss the festival...... When you came to the old man's house today, the old man really didn't expect it......"

I don't know what the implication is, Xie An's face turned slightly red.