Chapter 40: Calculated

Zhao Ta returned to the capital in the dust, it was already afternoon, although he had only been away for two months, but it was much more lively than last time, the city has resumed the excitement of the past, the shops have set up colorful sheds, hung lanterns, the street is bustling with people purchasing New Year's goods, there are no traces of preparing for war some time ago, as if the war has gone away, peace has come.

The sudden return of the prince made Princess Zhu Shuzhen surprised and delighted, she thought that this year was the New Year alone, and she didn't even have the New Year's goods ready. Since the prince came back for the New Year, the house was naturally the same again, and when he saw that the dust had not been washed, he began to get busy, directing the people to purchase and clean up.

"Why did the prince suddenly return to Beijing, and he didn't send someone to deliver a letter, I'm so prepared!" After Zhao Ta finished washing and changing, Zhu Shuzhen sent tea and said angrily.

"Oh, isn't there anyone in the palace to deliver the letter?" Zhao Ta asked in surprise, it is said that the Holy Majesty will announce that he will return to Beijing, and he will inevitably notify the government, even if he forgets, Huang Jingchen in the palace should also know that Lu Dao sent someone to say it.

"No, no one has told me!" Zhu Shuzhen replied.

"That's weird, I received a holy decree five days ago, saying that the emperor and the queen mother miss me and let me go back to Beijing for the New Year, so someone should notify the house!" Zhao Ta touched his chin and said.

"Is the prince busy with military affairs to remember the wrong day, the twenty-third day of the lunar month, that is, the day before yesterday in the palace to worship the ancestors, I entered the palace by the queen's order, and I have also seen the queen mother and did not hear her talk about the prince's return to Beijing!" Zhu Shuzhen said with a smile.

"No, today is the twenty-fifth day of the lunar month, and I have been on the road for five days, which means that the holy decree has been issued before the twentieth day of the lunar month. But you don't know, and neither does the Queen Mother. There's something strange about this! Zhao Ta looked at Zhu Shuzhen and shook his head and said.

"If you don't understand, don't think about it, maybe the little yellow door that sent the message was lazy. Forget about it, anyway, you're back, prince, let's celebrate the New Year happily! Zhu Shuzhen took the prince's hand and said.

"Yes, let's have a happy New Year!" Zhao Ta said with a smile, but he knew that this year would not be peaceful...

That night, Zhao Ta called Fengxi and Zheng Shou to ask about the situation in the mansion, and the two of them also felt strange, the people who usually probed their brains at the gate of the mansion suddenly disappeared these days, but the palace sent more than ten small yellow doors to the mansion. More than 20 were sent to the palace maids. They thought it was because the prince fought well in front of him and was rewarded by the emperor.

In the past year, Changshi, who has not seen each other, has come to the house almost every day to ask long and short questions, and seems to be very concerned about the situation in the house, especially the people who come and go in the house are very detailed, and everyone laughs at him privately for being a snob, watching the prince regain favor, and wants to use the prince to find an official and a half-job.

After hearing this, Zhao Ta secretly understood in his heart that the emperor changed his external monitoring of himself to internal monitoring, and he had to be careful in what he said and did in the future. In the past, he could have been coquettish and angry and drove these people out of the house, but now he can't, it's not his mother who is in charge of the harem. If you really drive these away, tomorrow the emperor will be able to blast himself out of the mansion!

What puzzled Zhao even more was that the emperor ordered him to return to Beijing. No one knows what to do, is it to keep it secret and prevent Jin Jun from getting the letter to take advantage of himself to stir up trouble? But considering the things in the house, he thinks it won't be so simple. There must have been something that happened that he didn't know, and Zhao Ta decided to go to the emperor tomorrow to find out the news.

Annual leave has now been taken. All the yamen had been sealed, and Zhao Ta rushed to the palace early. Aoshan has been erected in front of the Xuande Building, which is taller than in previous years, and it seems that the emperor's brother wants to celebrate a big time. He handed a sign in front of the palace, and soon a small yellow door led him into the vertical arch hall.

When the two brothers met, Zhao Huan was very affectionate, and after encouraging him, he asked him to have a good New Year, no need to go to the Yazhong to sit on duty, and have a good New Year, and told him to go to Longde Palace to see the emperor, and then left him for lunch, listened to him report the situation on the front line in person, listened to his opinions, and encouraged him before sending him out of the palace. But the emperor's attitude made Zhao Ta feel flattered, that kind of enthusiasm made him feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable, but he couldn't find anything wrong, so he felt that he was nervous!

On the 28th, Zhao Ta prepared a gift to Longde Palace to greet his parents, Zheng Hongmei cried when she saw her son hugging her, she didn't hear from Zhao Ta for many days and thought that he went to Jin Country as a hostage, and she would never see her son again. And Zhao Ji was also wiping tears on the side, blaming his son for not giving him a letter, Zhao Ji could only comfort them with kind words and talk about the defeat of the Jin army to give them relief, and did not mention anything about personally leading the troops into battle and charging.

After some small talk, Zhao Ta figured out that the emperor had completely severed the connection between Longde Palace and the outside world, and the queen mother only occasionally learned about her victory in Li Gudu from a small yellow door, and she didn't know anything about the future, and the emperor hadn't seen it for a long time, and the words that he missed him in the decree were even more false.

And the life of the two is now even more 'embarrassing', the emperor has reduced the supply of Longde Palace on the grounds of state affairs and economy, and only 40,000 yuan per month, which is not enough for Zhao Ji's expenses in the past day, and the old couple has to live a 'tight' life. Zhao Ta knew what was going on, but he couldn't do anything at this time, so he asked Jianxi to go back and get 100,000 yuan to subsidize their daily expenses, and told them that they would send some filial piety every month in the future...

Coming back from Longde Palace, Zhao Ta felt depressed in his heart, and felt that the emperor had gone too far, and it really became a big joke to govern the country with filial piety every day. But the arrival of Shunzi brought him more angry news, Zhang Bangchang returned to Beijing and asked Zhishi to go home to retire, but was left by the emperor, and Nie Shan, who accompanied him back to Beijing, did not return to the front line, but sent Shaozai Tang Ke to Zhaozhou to preside over the peace.

"Da Song is resting!" Zhao Ta sighed, his careful planning was in vain again, and he was tricked by his eldest brother and his group again. It is fake to let him go back to Beijing for the New Year, and it is true that he and Jin Jun will negotiate peace as soon as possible, with Tang Ke's style and personality, there is no need to ask if he must have agreed to Han's condition, not to mention taking the opportunity to cover up and kill Jin Jun, consume his strength, and take the opportunity to recapture Yanjing Mansion.

"Shunzi, you immediately find out who Zhang Bangchang has seen since he returned to Beijing, and what he has said to the emperor!" The emperor's attitude changed greatly after Zhang Bangchang returned, and he must now understand the reasons for the emperor's change of attitude, so as to figure out countermeasures as soon as possible. (To be continued......)