Yi Xiangxiang received the news of Zhao Zixiu's southward journey in the Xile Building, and Zhao Ziqian, the seventh prince who was in the Prince's Mansion, also received the news.

"You stay in Kyoto, and I'll go south with a glimpse!" Zhao Ziqian sat on the carved chair in the study and said to Kang Rui and Xiong Wei opposite.

Kang Rui sat on Zhao Ziqian's left side, he shook his head disapprovingly and said: "Your Highness, safety is the most important, let's let Xiong Wei bring someone to pretend to be a retinue to escort you with you, the fourth prince is not a simple person, or have enough manpower!" And in case the news leaks, it is difficult to guarantee that the crown prince and the second prince will not make a move. ”

"That's right, take me with you, didn't the spy who dug up in the city before say that after arriving in Tongzhou, he disappeared on the way to Jinhua County in Tongzhou? My cousin's family is in Jinhua County, Tongzhou, and we can find a helper if we need anything else. Xiong Wei also persuaded on the side.

Zhao Ziqian's men dug out a hidden stake in the city before, which seemed to be related to the previous dynasty. Zhao Ziqian deliberately sent people to startle the snakes, so that the leader left Kyoto, and he sent people to secretly follow and find people in Tongzhou. A few days ago, news came from Tongzhou that the man disappeared on the way to Jinhua County, and they secretly sealed the secret pile and tortured others, but did not get any useful information. Zhao Ziqian felt that his fourth brother Zhao Zixiu's trip to Tongzhou was also abnormal, so he decided to go to investigate in person.

"Then Glimpse pretends to be me and stays in the council, and you go south secretly with me." Zhao Ziqian said to Xiong Wei, if he and Xiong Wei were not there, it would definitely cause speculation from other forces, and he let the glimpse pretend to be him.

Glimpse is the leader of Zhao Ziqian's secret guard, not only has high martial arts, but also has a seven-point resemblance to Zhao Ziqian, which makes him easy to look like he can fake the truth.

"Is there really no guard?" Kang Rui frowned and asked, he knew that Zhao Ziqian's martial arts were strong, but he was also afraid of accidents.

Zhao Ziqian shook his head and said, "If there are more people, the goal will become bigger." The tone was firm and settled the matter, and no longer accepted other rebuttals.

"Okay, then I'll arrange for Tongzhou's secret guards to answer in advance, you must be careful." Kang Rui said to Zhao Ziqian and Xiong Wei.

Xiong Wei walked over and patted Kang Rui on the shoulder to comfort: "Don't worry, I'm here to promise it's okay!" ”

Kang Rui really wants to say that because of you, I am even more worried, it is better to let the glimpse go! Of course, he knew that Zhao Ziqian's temper would not easily change his decision again, so he didn't mention it again, but talked about Huanxi Pavilion.

"I have already done an investigation into the Huanxi Pavilion, which began to become famous a few days ago, but it is a Jianghu organization, and a group of people want to act as the embodiment of justice to kill mountain bandits and save reputation. They have made it clear that they will not aim their knives at the people in the court, and judging by their style, it should not be a big problem for us at present. Kang Rui said.

"Not the power of the people of Kyoto?" Xiong Wei didn't care about Kang Rui's ignorance of him just now, they had known each other for more than ten years, and they had long been accustomed to the way they got along with each other, so it was natural to ask Kang Rui questions at this time.

Kang Rui shook his head and said, "No, they have no signs of activity in Kyoto, and they only want to walk in the rivers and lakes." The pavilion master of the Joy Pavilion is very mysterious, but he has also shown his figure, thinking that he deliberately wants to cover it up in the name of mystery. ”

"Then it doesn't matter, if there are more heroes in the rivers and lakes who punish evil and promote good, it is also a good thing! I heard that there are women among the twenty-four ghosts, but they are really heroes among women! Xiong Weiwei grinned and cocked Erlang's legs and said.

Zhao Ziqian felt that things were not so simple, his cold eyebrows and eyes wrinkled and said: "They clean up the major cottages, does that mean that they will clean Qishan soon?" ”

Zhao Ziqian pointed his finger to the location of Qishan in the map on the table as he spoke, and the location where the spy disappeared from Tongzhou to Jinhua County was near Qishan, which had to make Zhao Ziqian suspect that the spy was related to Qishan. Moreover, the news reported by the secret guard said that one of the secret guards who was following him was missing, presumably abducted by the other party.

Kang Rui knew what Zhao Ziqian was worried about, and he said with certainty: "No, the last time General Yuwen attacked Qishan, he returned from the battle, let alone a Jianghu sect, they are self-aware." Now they are making such a big move, just to make a reputation. ”

At this time, Kang Rui Shizi naturally didn't know that he was slapped in the face half a month later.

"Speaking of this General Yuwen, I heard that his eldest daughter Yuwen An is also going to participate in next year's draft? Your Highness, you can be careful, if Yu Wen'an is pointed out as your wife, then you can bear it! Xiong Wei gloated.

Since Kang Rui said that Huanxi Pavilion is not to be afraid, there is no need to talk about it again, Xiong Wei directly led the topic to the issue of the draft.

The court draft of the Li Dynasty was intended to enrich the harem for the emperor and reproduce heirs, but if the princes also reached marriageable age, they also had to choose the princesses. In this triennial draft, Concubine De Niangniang in the palace was very understanding and spoke to the saints, saying that the princes are getting older, and it is time to start a family.

Concubine De is also very smart, she only said that she started a family and didn't say that she would start a business, how should the princes start a business? In addition to killing the enemy on the battlefield, there is no other thing left to grab the throne!

The emperor knew that except for the crown prince who had a wife, the rest of the princes did not have a concubine, so he gave an order, and this draft also selected concubines for several princes of appropriate age to make up for the side concubines, which is one of the reasons why Xiong Wei talked about the topic of Zhao Ziqian's concubine.

And why did Xiong Wei say don't choose Yuwen'an? Yuwen An is the eldest daughter of General Yuwen, and if this identity is put out, it can be regarded as a wealthy family! If there are no special circumstances, it will definitely be sought by a hundred schools. Hey, it's because of this special circumstance that Xiong Wei just mentioned her.

Yu Wen'an is different from other women in the family, mainly because she is good at martial arts, and her physique is stronger than that of ordinary women, and she can even be said to be strong. Not to mention that she looks like a man, even this kung fu is not weaker than a man, it is rumored that she has a cherry blossom gun to play well, if she goes to the battlefield, it is very likely to become the second general of the moon. Most of the women of the Kyoto family are known for their gentleness, and they are as heroic as Yuwen'an, even if the Yuwen family is prominent, no one dares to come to the door to propose marriage.

Please, whoever wants to provide a wife at home who can beat herself up at any time with her identity and ability!

"Most of the school-age women in Kyoto are on the draft list, so what's strange about having the name of Yuwen'an. Don't worry, no matter how you pick it, after all, the power of the Yuwen family is towards the four princes, and naturally they will not let His Royal Highness marry the eldest daughter of their family. Kang Rui said.

In the matter of the draft, even if some parents don't want their daughters to enter the palace, the names on the newspaper must be reported. Kyoto is not like other places where there are selection officials, and everyone still does not dare to be presumptuous at the feet of the Son of Heaven. However, the emperor is not a fool, he will pull when he sees a woman, and he will also choose the object of wooing according to the court situation. It's just that many people are foils and go through the motions.

Of course, many people are looking forward to entering the palace! Just kidding, that is the glory and wealth in the eyes, that is, the heirs who can give birth to the heirs in the future and compete for the throne, that is an incomparably noble existence.

Xiong Wei naturally knew this truth, he just wanted to complain about the fierce Yu Wen'an: "Hmph, if Yu Wen'an marries the fourth prince as his wife, the four princes will be able to bear it, and the small body of the fourth prince is probably ......."

Kang Rui glanced at Xiong Wei's sinister smile, and slowly broke his illusion and said: "Now that Concubine De is in the name of General Yuwen, the power of the Yuwen family is already in his pocket, how can he waste the opportunity to marry, this time the concubine will inevitably use the position of the concubine to win over other forces." ”

"Looks like there's no good show! But the saint won't really take Yuwen'an into his harem, right? Xiong Wei thought of a new possibility and asked.

Kang Rui shook his head and said: "The chance of Yuwen'an losing the election is seventy percent, of course, it is difficult to guarantee that the saint will not look at the face of the Yuwen family and help them in Yuwen'an's problem, and may help him choose a son-in-law!" I guess I'll pick a stronger man......"

Kang Rui said and stopped to glance at Xiong Wei's figure, and looked at the latter with a creepy look.

Xiong Wei is the son of General Zhenguo, with a strong figure and a strong physique, if he is paired with Yu Wen'an, it complements each other, Kang Rui thought so.

"!" Xiong Wei saw Kang Rui's movements, and thought of hearing that Yuwen An could lift a big man with one hand, and he was so frightened that he was about to beat Kang Rui when he got up.

Kang Rui immediately dodged it, and the interaction between the two made Zhao Ziqian, who had always been indifferent, also smile.

"Okay, okay, scare you. You and I are both members of the Seventh Highness, and everyone knows this, and the Fourth Prince will not cut off half of the Yuwen family and throw it into our arms. But speaking of which, Your Highness, we also have to plan ahead, the crown prince, the second prince and even the fourth prince all intend to use this draft to attract forces from all sides, even that Meng Zhaoyi wants to get his cousin into the palace, this marriage is indeed the best way to establish an alliance! In the second half of the sentence, Kang Rui said to Zhao Ziqian.

Zhao Ziqian naturally knew that the marriage was necessary, he knocked on the table and said, "You go and arrange it." The meaning of this is to let Kang Rui hand over the concubine candidate.

Kang Rui was a little surprised by Zhao Ziqian's answer, not to mention that the crown prince has already had a concubine over the years, that is, the second prince and the fourth prince also have their own side concubines, but their seventh prince's backyard is empty. This His Royal Highness is not a woman, that is something that everyone knows, and even rumors are secretly circulating whether His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince has a physical problem. It was Kang Rui who thought that it would take some effort to persuade Zhao Ziqian to accept the concubine, but he didn't expect it to be so easy now.

If Concubine Rong in the palace knew that her son had finally agreed to accept the concubine, she would probably be so happy that she couldn't sleep, because she had always been afraid that her son would have broken his sleeves. This fear has to be talked about Rong Guifei's maiden family, Rong Guifei was born in Kyoto's Yongxing Marquis Mansion, and the Yongxing Marquis of Rujing is her eldest brother Kang Zuo, that is, Kang Rui's father. She was worried that her son Zhao Ziqian, who was not close to women, had broken sleeves, and it was also because her second brother Kang You was good at Longyang. Although it is said that her second brother does not like officialdom and is out all the year round, because no one knows his special habits, but Concubine Rong, as a family member, naturally knows it, and she is really worried that her son also has this strange problem.

Yes, there is no mistake, Zhao Ziqian's grandfather is now the old Marquis Kang, he passed the throne to Zhao Ziqian's uncle Kang Zuo, and the son Kang Rui is the son of Kang Zuo, that is, Zhao Ziqian's cousin.

Zhao Ziqian's second uncle has no intention of officialdom, nor does he like the drunken gold fans in Kyoto, he has been visiting the mountains and rivers all the year round, and has never married a wife or had children in his life, which makes the old Marquis Kang so angry that his heart, liver, spleen and stomach are painful, and Concubine Rong is even more worried about his son. Fortunately, now that Zhao Ziqian has finally opened his mind, if Concubine Rong knows about this, she will definitely be very happy.

Xiong Wei understood very well, they were all men, but he didn't dare to ridicule Zhao Ziqian, so he asked, "Who did Meng Zhaoyi stuff into the harem?" The eleventh prince is only five years old now! ”

"It's not to stuff it into her son, it's to find someone to be a shield, after all, she has another child on her body now, and stuffing a cousin into it can take away some attention." Kang Rui said, thinking about which family is worth wooing, and which concubine Yunying is not married.

"Why do you have to calculate so much, so many show girls enter the palace, how can the attention be divided a little? That Meng Zhaoyi's brain is also not easy to use, and now that the forces of all parties have begun to compete secretly, who will pay attention to a Zhaoyi, let alone care about a child who is only five years old. Xiong Wei interrupted Kang Rui's thinking disappreciatively.

After hearing this, Kang Rui shook his head and disagreed, he said: "That's not necessarily, there are many little emperors who have been reaping the benefits of fishermen in ancient times. Although he said this arrogantly, it also had some truth, and Xiong Wei was not good to answer it.

"What's the origin of this cousin?" Zhao Ziqian asked briefly.

"She is the eldest daughter of the Jiang family in Tongzhou, and her name is Jingshan. I heard that she is still the first beauty in Tongzhou, but she doesn't seem to be very favored, but her father Jiang Chengshen was an official in Kyoto with a concubine, and left the main room and the children of the concubine in Tongzhou. Condrey told the information he had gathered.

Xiong Wei shook his legs and smacked his tongue: "Kang Rui, you can do it, you are so well-informed about the news in Tongzhou." However, this Jiang Chengshen is also a brainless person, Yu Shitai smashed a favorite concubine to kill his wife, which is enough for him to drink a pot. ”

Kang Rui stretched out his hand and took a sip of tea from the cup and said, "After all, it is Meng Zhaoyi's grandfather's family, so I am naturally concerned." Jiang Chengshen said to the outside world that Mrs. Jiang was weak and sick, and he couldn't bear his wife's tiredness, so she stayed in Tongzhou. And a pair of children are filial, so they stay to take care of their mother. If he can't come up with substantial evidence, it is not easy to accuse him of spoiling his concubine and killing his wife. Besides, because of Meng Zhaoyi's relationship, no one will go all the way to Tongzhou to verify whether Mrs. Jiang is really sick. However, there is news that the Jiang family and the Yi family have already had a marriage contract, and the two families have exchanged Gengxu a few days ago, thinking that it is the arrangement of Lord Jiang, and he does not want his granddaughter to enter the palace. ”

Jiang Chuanhong refused to increase his official position in order to defend Tongzhou, which was also mentioned by many people in Kyoto, and Kang Rui admired his character, so he still called Jiang Chuanhong Master Jiang.

"I don't want to enter the palace and take my name off, so why bother!" Xiong Wei said.

"Do you think that the officials selected after Meng Zhaoyi's hint would dare to easily remove their names? It is the most direct to say that the pro is decided. Now the Zhizhou of Tongzhou is the Yi West Lake of the Yi family, and he has been supported by Jiang Laoda, so he took over this matter. Speaking of which, the Yi family is also righteous enough, and they are completely risking offending Meng Zhaoyi to let their son marry this Jiang Jingshan. Kang Rui opened the folding fan and shook it gently.

Zhao Ziqian heard the familiar words and asked, "Yi family?" Is that the owner of the Joy Building? ”

"Exactly! This Jiang Jingshan is the eldest son of the Yi family, Yi Luochuan, and the Xile Building is run by Yi Luochuan's mother, the Lin family. But this Yi Luochuan is also a talent, I heard that this time Qiu Yu is on the list, and he is a young talent. Kang Rui said.

"Lin? Does it have anything to do with the Prime Minister's family? Zhao Ziqian grasped the point.

Kang Rui nodded and shook his head and said: "There is something to do with it, it has been investigated, but it is just a side girl, so it doesn't have anything to do with it." But in this draft, Lin Zhimeng, the eldest daughter of the Lin family, is on the list, could it be that the old lady also wants to fight something? ”

The current head of the Lin family is still the former Taishi Lin Zhen, and the Lin Zhimeng that Kang Rui said is the son of the Taishi, who is also the daughter of the current Prime Minister Lin Chong. The Lin family has been immortal for a hundred years because they are very smart and choose to be pure ministers, and the emperor also acquiesces to the fact that some smart pure ministers do not fill in the names of their daughters in the list of show girls. It is very surprising that the Lin family has a concubine now.

"Hmph, the result of the juniors not being self-reliant!" Zhao Ziqian said coldly.

The reason why Zhao Ziqian said this is because the Lin family's generation is really a bit of a waste of firewood, and this time, more than a dozen sons from the Lin family circle entered the examination room, but none of them were on the list! I think that Master Lin wants to save the country.

Kang Rui also knew what Zhao Ziqian meant, but he still had to consider the current strength of the Lin family: "Not to mention anything else, at least the Lin family is not only supported by the old lady now, but the prime minister Lin Chong is also a predator!" If His Royal Highness gives the position of concubine to the Lin family, he will definitely be able to get his help in the future. And it's good that the Lin family doesn't have the ability of their juniors, at least they don't have to worry about the problems of their relatives. But what we can think of, other princes can also think of, they must also be promised as wives. ”

"It's okay, I'm just trying to get them in to get less resistance. If it is really accepted by someone else, it is not a problem! Zhao Ziqian knew that the Lin family tree had deep roots, but he didn't particularly care.

"Well, the forces in Kyoto are complicated, and the Lin family is not our only choice, the daughter of the Guogong Mansion and the Hubu Shangshu and the daughter of the Bingbu Shangshu can all be the Seven Imperial Concubines, and there are also side concubines to promise." Kang Rui said.

Xiong Wei interjected with a smile: "Now His Highness's backyard is going to be lively!" ”

Zhao Ziqian shot a cold light, and Xiong Wei froze on the spot. Until Zhao Ziqian retracted his gaze, Xiong Wei still felt that there was hair on his back. Zhao Ziqian turned his head and thought of next year's spring, and said: "Next year's spring, you should also wait and see in advance." What he meant was that there were some rookies to woo, and they had to be gracious in advance.

Kang Rui nodded: "I understand, I'll hand over the list when I turn around." ”

"It's okay, until I come back, you're in charge." Zhao Ziqian had great trust in Kang Ruina, he took a sip of water and asked, "Is there any new discovery in the Xile Building?" ”

"There have been no new discoveries, but the steward Yi Hanxi often goes in and out of Meihuanyuan. Rumor has it that he and the Flower Girl and the Dancing Girl are old acquaintances. There is nothing to explore about this matter, the Linghua Lingwu is from Tongzhou, and Yi Hanxi is also from Tongzhou. And this Yi Hanxi's father is a person who is obsessed with Flower Street and Willow Lane, thinking that the father and son are a virtue, it is normal for Yi Hanxi and the Qinglou woman to be old acquaintances. A while ago, the secret guard also saw a beautiful woman come to look for him, and then the woman also entered Meihuan Garden. Kang Rui said.

At this time, if Yi Hanxi, who was sitting in the Lingwu Pavilion of Meihuan Yuan, heard this, he would definitely shout that he couldn't generalize!

Zhao Ziqian nodded and said, "Then withdraw all the people who are monitoring Xile Building, and don't waste manpower." ”

So because of this, Zhao Ziqian once again lost the opportunity to know the truth faster.

Zhao Ziqian took Xiong Wei all the way south the next day, and the two of them traveled in simple clothes after changing their appearances, without attracting anyone's attention.

Zhao Zixiu also set off the next day, although he also came out under a pseudonym, but compared to Zhao Ziqian, his goal was slightly bigger. After all, it was Concubine De who gave the emperor, and he was appointed to do so, and he deliberately concealed it to cover it up. However, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he was also extremely low-key, that is, he did not reveal his true identity to the merchants who were on the same boat, and only said that he was going south to visit his old friend.

It's not a good life

It's not a good life