Chapter 107 The post house father and son talk at night

When Lu Cheng returned to the post house, it was already very late, and he was not in a hurry to go upstairs to the Tianzi No. 1 room where he lived to rest, but first asked the shopkeeper for two plates of hot braised beef, a pot of good wine and sent it to his room, and then Shi Shiran went upstairs.

In the previous seventeen years, Lu Cheng spent all his time in the palace, and most of the food in the palace was made in the imperial dining room, and there was a small kitchen in the queen's palace, but his east palace did not, because his father didn't want him to lose his mind and spend his time indulging in food.

And the food sent by the imperial dining room, every meal is also a few cold dishes, a few hot dishes, a few dumplings, and a few soups, all of which have a fixed number, and they look beautiful, but because the imperial dining room manages the food of everyone in the palace, when they really eat in their mouths, in fact, the meals are not very hot.

And the talents in the palace are all beautiful and beautiful, all of them are delicate, said to be four cold dishes, in fact, every thing that can be eaten is just a little bit in the middle, when I was a child, I watched the people in the palace eat like this, and I didn't think there was anything bad, until I arrived in Tanzhou Lucheng, I didn't know that although I had been the prince for seventeen years, but in some places compared with the soldiers in Liangzhou, it was really like a frog at the bottom of the well.

It was also in Tanzhou that he learned to think like other soldiers, drinking wine and eating the beef and mutton that had just been roasted on the fire, not as many and complex ingredients as in the palace, just rubbing it with salt, and then sprinkling it with some chili peppers that can ward off the cold, the taste was good enough, and now when he returned to the imperial capital, he suddenly felt that he was not in harmony with the taste wherever he went, and he was not comfortable eating anything.

Opening the door, the sharp intuition brought to him by the Tanzhou camp told him that there must be someone in this room, although the light was not turned on.

Lu Cheng asked vigilantly: "Who is here?"

A familiar voice remembered, "It's me." ”

Lu Cheng was so shocked that he hurriedly closed the door tightly, and plugged it back with the latch, which lit up the wind lamp in the room: "Erchen knocks on his father, long live his father, long live long live." ”

There is only one wind lamp, and the lights in the room are not very bright, but such a dim light sets off the emperor's face that is very majestic on weekdays, and today's lines are much softer, and Emperor Longqing took Lu Cheng's hand: "Get up, there are no outsiders here, why are you and my father and son so unfamiliar?" Speaking of which, I haven't seen you for more than half a year. ”

But having said that, Lu Cheng didn't dare to be too presumptuous, after all, he came back from Tanzhou secretly this time, if his father was in a good mood, he might pass with a smile, but if his father really wanted to investigate, he wouldn't be delaying the military affairs: "Father...... How could it be here?"

The emperor smiled lightly, and the beard on his lips trembled a few times: "Okay, you sneak to the boudoir of the young lady, and you are not allowed to come to your inn at night to sit?"

Lu Cheng's face suddenly turned red behind his ears: "Since my father has been sending secret guards to find out the whereabouts of his son, why bother to say it?"

The emperor smiled bitterly: "Actually, Cheng'er, when I look at you, I have a little envy in it." When you asked to go to Tanzhou and other bitter cold places to train, I agreed without much thought, because in fact, when I was young, I didn't want to go to the border. But until now, I am the son of heaven and rich from all over the world, but I have never set foot on the boundary of Tanzhou, which is only a military town for me, and the closest point to Nan'an on the territory map hanging in my imperial study. ”

Outside the door, there was a little sleepy voice from the shopkeeper: "Guest officer, the braised beef and hot wine you want are here." ”

The emperor hurriedly silenced, and Lu Cheng said: "Put it at the door, I'll go out and get it later." ”

"Come on, officer, you're all right. When the footsteps of the shopkeeper were far away, Lu Cheng went out and brought in the jujube wood food box with two plates of braised beef and a pot of hot wine, placed it on the small table next to the bed, pulled the chair next to the table and sat on the edge of the bed, and took out two pairs of chopsticks and two wine glasses.

"Father, son-in-law will taste it first. ”

This is the meaning of testing the poison by example, the father-son relationship of the heavenly family is not like ordinary people who can sit around and eat a table of food happily, just a gap in rank is enough to separate everything.

But he didn't expect the emperor to directly press Lu Cheng's hand there, and picked up his pair of chopsticks: "It's okay, I will eat with you." ”

Lu Cheng suddenly thought of many years ago, when he was only five years old, when his father was still his father and the prince, in fact, at that time they could talk and eat together intimately, at that time, his father only had two children, he and Lu Yuan, but his father loved his mother deeply, and naturally loved the house and Wu, and when he was busy with political affairs, he would always come to his mother's room to take a look at himself before going to the study.

At that time, he grabbed a plate of pastries prepared for him by the maid and picked up a piece: "Father eats." ”

But he didn't know that the imperial grandfather in the palace had given a banquet before his father's reply, and his father actually couldn't eat it, but he should still stuff that piece of pastry into his stomach: "Brother Cheng also eats." ”

The beef on the plate is very rough cut, the emperor is used to seeing the kind of beef in the palace that is as thin as a cicada's wings, and can almost melt in the mouth, and he was also very surprised when he saw this kind of beef, sandwiched a piece, looked at it carefully, and said: "You eat some of this thing all day long in Tanzhou?"

"My father probably doesn't know, Tanzhou is bitter cold, not suitable for cultivating fields, but close to Nan'an, the climate there is very suitable for grazing, so there are a lot of cattle and sheep in the barracks, plus there are often prey and the like on weekdays, so the sons in the Tanzhou camp basically eat roasted beef and mutton and roasted game. ”

A trace of guilt appeared in the emperor's eyes: "These should be the food of ordinary soldiers, after all, you are my own ......"

Lu Cheng's eyes were full of fighting spirit when he said this: "Father, on the battlefield, there is no prince, everyone is your people, they shed blood and sweat, all to defend my Daxuan territory." If I am your son, I will have special preferential treatment, but I am afraid that the camp in Tanzhou will riot. ”

Hearing Lu Cheng say this, the emperor's eyes showed an approving look: "Yes, you have done a good job." ”

After speaking, he picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth to taste it carefully: "Indeed, it does taste much more delicious than the crystal beef in the palace. ”

"My father is right, when my son was in Tanzhou, in addition to the time in the camp in Tanzhou, he also took a lot of time to see the local herdsmen in Tanzhou. Erchen just gave an example, three years ago, there was a lot of hail and freezing rain in the winter in Tanzhou, do you know how many people died at that time?"

The emperor's expression became very solemn, he didn't know about the natural disaster in Tanzhou three years ago, after the twist and turn, he also specially allocated a lot of silver from the treasury to Tanzhou to relieve the disaster, what he was afraid of was that the people's hearts were unstable, and then let the military town lose, but listening to Lu Cheng's meaning, he didn't need to go on, he could also think of the scene of starvation in Tanzhou.

The emperor poured himself another glass of wine, and drank it like Lu Cheng, before he drank wine in small sips with great grace, and now the son who was sitting opposite was more and more capable, but drinking with his son like this, as if he felt that he had never grown old: "Gili Fort is in a difficult situation, easy to defend and difficult to attack, this time you only brought 1,600 people to take Gili Fort, it is not easy." It's just that although Gili Fort is a military town in Nan'an, the location is not very close to my Daxuan, and even if you ask for Gili Fort, it is not convenient to govern it. I agreed to the request of the prince of Nan'an, with fifteen cities of Yijili Fort, you will not complain about me. ”

Lu Cheng shook his head with the strength of the wine: "How come? Father, this is the long-term strategy of governing the country, if we only need a Gili Fort, a Geely Fort surrounded by most of the land of Nan'an, I am afraid that it will not take three or five years, and the people's desire will also let Gili Fort return to the hands of Nan'an, but with fifteen cities Yi Gili Fort is different, although these fifteen cities are not prosperous, but they are all close to the city of Daxuan's territory, and his father is generous, these fifteen cities, the prince of Nan'an handed over, I am afraid that there will be no chance to go back." What's more, with these fifteen cities, if Nan'an dares to provoke Daxuan again, Daxuan can also use his strength to fight, and Gilibao and even the entire Nan'an will be annexed by Daxuan, which is just around the corner. ”

Emperor Longqing looked up to the sky and sighed, then lowered his head and stared at Lu Cheng's eyes: "If your queen mother is still here, I am afraid that I will be relieved to see you today." But she can't help but talk about me, I must say, she is just your son, let you only take 1,800 people to risk alone, tiger poison is not enough to eat children, I am not even as good as a tiger...... Say, this time in the battle of Fort Geeli, for such a great achievement, what reward do you want?"

Lu Cheng knew that Emperor Longqing must have a secret guard watching him, and even he said something to Chang'an, but he was afraid that he would report it truthfully, and now he asked, but he just gave himself a step to invite merit and reward in advance, and thought about it: "Nan'an's surrender general Waltum, now his name has been changed to Jin Zhong, if he is not familiar with Nan'an's combat strategy, the battle of Gili Fort will not be so smooth, and the son of the emperor can entitle Jin Zhongzheng Sanpin Military Department Zuo Shilang as an official position, and give him a mansion, and allow him to bring his family to settle in the imperial capital." ”

The emperor coughed lightly and nodded: "Regarding this Jin Zhong, you have done a good job, you don't need to be suspicious, and employing people without suspicion is the best policy." Since he is wholeheartedly loyal to Daxuan, I must not be a mean and unkind person, but after all, he is a general of Nan'an, although the merit of the battle of Fort Geely is great, but the knighthood will also cause discussion in the court, and it is appropriate to be named the left servant of the military department of the third grade. What else?"

Lu Cheng stood up, took off the robe he was wearing and gently draped it on the emperor: "It's cold at night, Erchen has practiced in Tanzhou, this bit of wind and cold is nothing, but it is the body of the emperor's ten thousand gold, don't get cold." Although the Korean Duke Geng Wei and Gong Changbo did not lead their troops to the expedition this time, they were able to provide the support of the grain and grass required by the Gilly Fort, and the Grandfather and Earl of the Kingdom were also very thorough, so these two were also meritorious. It's just that such a meritorious knighthood is not appropriate, so the sons requested that Geng Haibin, the eldest son of the Korean Duke who died early, be posthumously crowned as Yunyang Bo, and Gong Changbo's deceased father as Gongchang Marquis. ”

Geng Haibin is the eldest son of the Korean father-in-law, ten years ago Nan'an Xingbing died on the battlefield of Tanzhou when he committed the border, his wife Fan heard the news of her husband's death, sad and sad under the trance, stumbled and fell into the well, and was gone, leaving only the infant daughter Geng Nuan. It's just that in that battle, Nan'an and Daxuan could only be regarded as a draw, so the emperor could only appease Geng Nuan as the county lord of Xuyi in line with the principle of appeasement. Until now, the Korean prince has been over the age of six, and he has always insisted on guarding Tanzhou, and he has not had the desire to avenge his son.

"You can do it. The emperor raised his eyebrows and looked at Lu Cheng, with a little banter in his eyes: "Don't you ask for something for yourself?"