After saying that, Wang Xiaolai didn't have anything to think about, he and the empress were eating and laughing around the hot pot, and when it was about to end, the empress suddenly said: "That's right, little Laizi." ”

Wang Xiaolai turned around and said, "Your Majesty, you said." ”

"There is an experimental examination of gunpowder, which has been put on the agenda in the last two days, after all, I plan to use troops against the steppe after the next year."

"After a year?" Wang Xiaolai was stunned: "So anxious? Can't you wait for news from Silla and the Western Frontier? ”

The empress snorted: "No, let's tell you the truth, the last time Zhao Suizhi came to Daxing City with Zhu and me, she had already told me, if it was to use troops on the grassland, she agreed 100%, just when she sent troops, just say hello to her, I sent an envoy to Silla yesterday, and when we sent troops to the front line in the north in the future, the envoy almost spread the news, the only uncertain factor is the three barbarians in the west and you said." ”

"However, looking at the way you look at Sanman, there shouldn't be any problems with this. As for the Western Realm, I heard that Yu Zhimo called you the general of heaven, and he should not object to your request. The empress laughed.

Wang Xiaolai sighed: "I really can't hide anything from Your Majesty." ”

The empress snorted: "So, you'd better not hide anything from me in the future." ”

Wang Xiaolai: "···"

The two ate for a while, and they were almost finished, and Wang Xiaolai got up to say goodbye.

The empress didn't send much, she waited for Wang Xiaolai to leave, went to the garden and grabbed a handful of snow and put it in her mouth, and when it melted, she rinsed her mouth and spit it out, wiped her mouth with the handkerchief sent by Narcissus, and then pouted: "This hot pot is not as delicious as Xiao Laizi said, it doesn't taste like it, it's really strange, why did Xiao Laizi eat so much." ”

Narcissus was silent.

The empress shouted: "Father-in-law Le." ”

Hearing the voice, Father-in-law Le hurriedly came to the front and arched his hand: "Your Majesty." ”

The empress looked at him: "Did I ask you to probe Xiao Laizi's tone?" ”

Father-in-law Le nodded, then clenched his fists and said: "Back to Your Majesty, the slave is indeed using the matter of the royalist party to probe the general's tone." ”

The empress sighed: "Yes, what did Xiao Laizi say?" ”

Father-in-law Le hesitated for a moment, and then said: "The general doesn't seem to have a good impression of the royalists, and when the minions and the generals talk about the royalists, the generals always look like they are not interested. ”

Hearing this, the empress lowered her head and pondered, and then smiled: "It seems that my decision is still right. ”

Narcissus looked at the empress in wonder.

The empress waved her hand and said: "Narcissus, go and tell Feng Qingyun to stop the royalist cashier's move from now on, and in addition, take out the money collected before from the treasury according to the account book, and return it one by one." ”

"Your Majesty, didn't you plan to wait until the end of the year to stop the royalists' actions?" Narcissus was stunned.

The empress shook her head: "Haven't you seen it yet?" Xiao Laizi is venting his bitterness to me, this guy, I still don't understand him? Just do what I want. ”

Narcissus nodded, and then worried: "If, there is something unpleasant over there..."

The empress hehe: "Not happy? So what, did he think I didn't know what he was thinking? The springboard of the royalists made him jump to the position of the squire, and as a result, this guy is dedicated to studying the method of meeting me, this person is smart and smart, but unfortunately the road is narrow, if I don't knock him and lead him to the right path, I am afraid that it is such a good seedling, and it will be wasted from now on. When you do narcissus, you will do as I tell you. ”

"Yes."

After the narcissus left, the empress turned back to the edge of the pavilion, picked up the previous fold, opened it and looked at it, and inside was the list of accusations against Wang Xiaolai sent by Feng Qingyun.

Like what Wang Xiaolai used his power during his time in Longshou County to resell grain to the mountain barbarian tribes in exchange for tobacco, and then relied on the favor of the Son of Heaven to collect windfalls everywhere, and what was even more excessive was that in the Zhao Sui Rebellion, he privately withheld tens of millions of taels of silver, and millions of taels of gold were kept for his own use, and his heart was unpredictable.

The empress glanced at the list of accusers, but found that they were all anonymous.

Shaking her head, the empress smiled and put down the fold: "Feng Qingyun is too childish, and he doesn't even dare to leave a name, just like that, he also told me to tell Xiao Laizi, alas, how can I say that he is good." ”

As she spoke, the empress shook her head to herself, walked out of the garden, and went in the direction of the imperial study.

···

Wang Xiaolai came out of the palace, and when Shu Jiuchai followed, it was already three or four o'clock in the afternoon.

Winter nights always come quickly, and at this point, it is almost the time when the day is getting dull, and the heavy snow of the day is finally lightening.

Shu Jiuchai originally wanted to give the horse to Wang Xiaolai to ride, but the latter waved his hand, but he just wanted to walk around the street twice.

There was no way, Shu Jiuchai had no choice but to pull the horse and follow behind Wang Xiaolai.

The two walked slowly, and there were many people selling sugar gourds on the street.

Wang Xiaolai stopped in front of a vendor, touched it from his pocket, took out a piece of broken silver, handed it over, and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper, I want all these sugar gourds from you." ”

After selling for a day, there were few sugar gourds, and Wang Xiaolai took out so much silver, the vendor smiled at the time, and was busy twice, and even the bracket with the sugar gourd was stuffed into Wang Xiaolai's hands.

Wang Xiao thanked him, and handed the stand of the sugar gourd to Shu Jiuchai: "Come one?" ”

Shu Jiuchai shook his head.

Wang Xiaolai said again: "Here's one." ”

Seeing that Wang Xiaolai insisted, Shu Jiuchai had no choice but to take out one, hold it in his hand, and not eat it.

Wang Xiaolai smiled, put it on his shoulder, and walked leisurely in the direction of the General's Mansion.

When he was walking not far away, he was caught off guard, and a few people came out of the merchants next to him and stopped in front of Wang Xiaolai.

"This official, please stay."

Although Wang Xiaolai is not wearing an official robe, he is also dressed in silk and satin, not like ordinary people, as soon as those people open their mouths, they directly call officials, which is not wrong.

Wang Xiaolai carried the sugar gourd and looked at the people blankly: "What's wrong?" ”

The men glanced at each other, and one of them said, "We are royalists." ”

When Shu Jiuchai heard the word royalist behind Wang Xiaolai's body, his face pulled down at that time.

Wang Xiaolai also put down the sugar gourd and sighed: "Oh, what? ”

The royalist who led the leader said: "That's the case, Sui Yang has been in war for a long time, and it is rare to be peaceful, at this time, it is the time to rebuild, doesn't this official want to make any contributions?" ”

Wang Xiaolai just wanted to refute, but after thinking about it, he gave up, anyway, when Feng Qingyun said the order, this royalist party will not be like this now, for now, I better bear with it, no matter what, this silver is sent to the empress, so he nodded: "That's right, but, how do you say this contribution?" ”

Several royalists muttered for a while, then looked Wang Xiaolai up and down, and said, "As an official, three hundred taels of silver." ”

Wang Xiaolai listened to it and was directly happy: "Three hundred taels? Isn't it a bit much? ”

"Why, aren't the officials the people of Suiyang? Or do the officials have no patriotism for Sui Yang? For Your Majesty, there is no loyalty to the king? ”

Wang Xiaolai sneered when he heard this: "It's a big hat buttoned down, originally I thought that you would speak so politely, so I took out a little bit, but I didn't expect you to play this with me, right?" Don't say three hundred taels, three thousand taels, thirty thousand taels, I have them, I just don't give them, what can you do? ”

The faces of several royalists were cold at that time, and they directly blocked Wang Xiaolai's way: "Then you can't let the officials pass today." ”

The merchant who had just been asked by the royalists on the side came out and said to Wang Xiaolai: "This brother, you should give it to them, otherwise, they really won't let you go." ”

Wang Xiaolai was happy: "The silver is mine, whether to give it or not is my hobby, why, do you still want to grab it?" Or is there not enough money you asked for when you went to my house? ”

Several royalists were stunned for a moment, and then the leader said: "Ming robbed something, this is the foot of the Son of Heaven, the capital of the first good, how could such a ridiculous thing happen, it's just that we are persuading officials to be loyal to the monarch and patriotism, and to fulfill the responsibilities of a Suiyang people." ”

Wang Xiaolai laughed when he heard this: "Do your duty as a citizen? So let me ask, do I fulfill the responsibilities of a citizen in the rebellion of Zhao Sui in Dongping, the great enemy of the grassland in the north, and the thirteen Rong in the west? ”