After the dispersal of the dynasty, Li Zhiyun was just about to leave the Wude Palace, when a eunuch came to him and asked him to go to the inner hall. Li Zhiyun followed the eunuch to the inner hall, only to see that the eldest brother and the second brother were there, and Abba was sitting on a soft couch waiting for him, he hurriedly walked over and stood next to the second brother.

Abba looked at them and said, "I have left you three behind, or about the matter of Chura, and I want to hear your opinions." Built, you say first. The eldest brother arched his hand and said: "Abba, the son agrees with the opinions of the ministers just now, the Turks are powerful, and we can't afford to offend." If he provokes Shibi, and he leads a large army to attack us, then the society is in danger. ”

"Shimin, what is your opinion?"

"Erchen thinks that others have no way to come and flee, and it is unjust for us to kill him."

In the end, Abba set his eyes on Li Zhiyun: "Zhiyun, you say." "Although Li Zhiyun is here, his thoughts have deserted. He went to the arsenal yesterday, and he encountered some problems in the development of new weapons, and he was thinking about how to solve them, and Abba asked him, and he said "ah", and then he came to his senses. At the beginning, the Turks robbed the people's girls on Chang'an Avenue, and he smashed Kang Sheli's head with a brick, and was beaten by Abba for 30 boards, so he has never had a good impression of the Turks. When Abba asked him, he casually said, "It's a matter between the Turks, and it's inconvenient for us to meddle, so let them settle it themselves." ”

When the eldest brother and the second brother heard this, they looked at him in surprise, which means that Abba asked you how to deal with Chuluo, and you didn't answer what you asked at all.

However, Abba listened to his words, pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "It's still Zhiyun who is right, just do what he wants." Li Zhiyun listened, and looked at the eldest brother and second brother triumphantly, as if to say, how is it, am I still smart? One push three-six-nine, this will not be? And let me teach. How clever is the eldest brother and the second brother? I immediately understood what Abba was going to do.

The next day, Churo Khan was summoned to the palace by Abba. Led by a eunuch, he entered an inner sanctum, where he saw Abba sitting beside a table full of delicacies.

When Abba saw Rokhan come in, he stood up and asked him to be seated. The Khan saluted, and the two sat down together. Chu Luo Khan said: "Your Majesty, do you want to entertain us?" Abba nodded and said, "I am busy with government affairs and don't take good care of you. Please come today, let's have a meal together, it can be regarded as atonement for your sins. ”

"Your Majesty, you are too polite."

In ancient times, "sheep" and "auspicious" were common words, and the sheep bottle was used to hold wine, indicating wealth and auspiciousness. Abba picked up the sheep bottle and said, "Come, let's do it." The two clinked glasses and took a sip each. After Abba put down the sheep bottle, he said, "Chu Luo Khan, you were also the king of a country, you should know that it is not easy to be a king. My cousin Yang Guang left the west and threw this mess to me, it's really not easy for me to be this family! The mountains and rivers are broken, and the people are struggling to make a living, take the Guanzhong area as an example, there are still 1.2 million households in the 10th year of the Great Cause, but now there are only 420,000 households left, not even 40% of them, and the population of other places has decreased even more. ”

He didn't know why Abba was telling him this, but he listened in a daze, not knowing what to say.

Abba continued: "Although I am the Ninth Five-Year Emperor and look very beautiful, I have lived a very provincial life, and I am always dipped in wild vegetables and coarse tea and light rice on weekdays. What's the solution? The country is too poor, and many people can't eat, can I not save some? I'm not afraid of your jokes, sometimes I really look forward to holding a few more banquets, because only by holding a banquet can I drink some good wine and eat some meat. …… Forget it, let's not talk about these unpleasant things, come, let's drink! ”

After the feast, the Khan thanked him and left. Looking at his back as he disappeared at the door, Abba looked gloomy, sighed, and said, "I am a big country, and I can't protect a person." The chief eunuch on the side comforted: "Your Majesty, don't be sad, he is also a Turk." Abba glanced at him, no squeak.

Led by a eunuch, the Khan walked out of the palace, and a carriage was parked at the door, and the eunuch turned around and said, "Khan, please." Thinking that he was going to take him back to his lodgings, he got into the carriage, and the eunuch followed.

The carriage drove along the street for a while, turning into the main street of Bao'en Temple. Seeing that the direction was wrong, Chu Luo hurriedly asked the eunuch: "Where are we going?" ”

"Go to Zhongshu Province."

"What are you doing in Zhongshu Province?"

"Someone wants to see you."

"Who wants to see me?"

The eunuch smiled and pretended to be mysterious: "When you get to the place, you will know." Seeing that the other party was selling Guanzi, it was not easy to ask, so he turned his head to look out the window. After passing by Boeunji Temple, the carriage turned into a narrow road, which was called Liyuan Road because of the pear trees planted on both sides of the road. Eventually, the carriage stopped at the gate of a courtyard, and the Khan got out of it. This courtyard covers a large area, and a plaque hangs on the gatehouse of the gatehouse, on which are written "Zhongshu Province".

The gate of the courtyard was open, and the eunuch who got out of the car said, "Chu Luo Khan, please go in, the person who wants to see you is waiting for you inside." He hesitated, but walked through the door.

There is a long road in the yard, and the road is lined with trees of all sizes. At the end of the road is a main house that serves as a government office, with several wings on each side of the main house. At this moment, the door of the main house was open, but there was no one around, and the whole courtyard was quiet, a little frighteningly quiet.

He walked for a while, his pace slowing down. The door in front of it was black, and I couldn't see anything in the room. For some reason, he suddenly felt that this door was a bit like the mouth of a beast, and if he got in, he couldn't get out. He hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to turn around and walk back.

At this moment, the gate of the courtyard was closed with a "bang", and several people hiding behind the door came over. He was startled, and when he looked closely, it turned out to be Liverford and his three retinue. He walked up to him with the hilt of his sword in his hand and smirked, "Daman, you are finally here, we have been waiting for you for a long time." When he saw them, it was like seeing a ghost, and he trembled like chaff and stammered: "You... What are you going to do? ”

"What? Sending you on your way! With a wave of his hand, two of his attendants stepped forward and dragged him violently under a large tree, while the other took a twine with a knotted buckle and put it around his neck.

Chu Luo Khan was so frightened that his soul flew away, and his face turned pale and pleaded: "Tong Lifu, you and I are both Ashina clans, push up the three generations, and we are still relatives." Have mercy on me and spare my life. He Lifu viciously said: "Your grandfather Datou betrayed the Khan Court, and the crime is unforgivable!" You're not a good thing either. Putting you to death is the order of Shibi Khan, so you must die! ”

Churo Khan was in despair. But he was not willing to die like this, and although he was grabbed by the arm by two stout attendants, he still struggled and shouted at the top of his voice: "Help! …… Come on! ......" The attendant had already wound the other end of the rope over a thick branch overhead. With a wave of his hand, the attendant immediately pulled the rope tightly. So, like a piece of wood, the Khan was hoisted into the air, and the shouts suffocated his throat. His eyes rolled, his tongue sticked out, and his feet kicked wildly, fluttering like a knifed rooster. However, he struggled for a short time and did not move again......

Li Zhiyun has been back in Chang'an for almost a month, and plans to visit his future father-in-law Liu Hong. It's not that he only thinks of this prospective father-in-law now, in fact, just a few days after he returned to Chang'an, he went to Liu's Mansion once, but he was closed. After inquiring, it turned out that Liu Hong took a large family back to his hometown to worship his ancestors.

Li Zhiyun sent someone to inquire that Liu Hong had returned from his hometown, so he brought gifts to visit. Liu Hong entertained him in the hall, and the two sat and chatted for a while, and then talked about business.

"King Chu, our money bank is doing well, but the semicolon is too small, and the coverage is not too wide. I was going to open a few more branches, but the funds were too much to turn around. Although our inn and winery are very profitable, and the money shop is also very oily, the expenses of the new army and the arsenal are really amazing. ”

Li Zhiyun knew that it was indeed very expensive to feed the army and develop weapons. He pondered for a moment and said, "No, let's find someone to partner with." ”

"I found some wealthy businessmen in Chang'an, but it didn't work out, either the other party couldn't come up with so much money for a while, or the price offered by the other party was too high, and we couldn't accept it."

"What about outside Chang'an?"

"I've looked for it too. There is a building clerk in Pizhou, who is the most wealthy businessman within a radius of several hundred miles. It is said that when he was young, he went to Nanyang to do business and made a lot of money, and his family's gold, silver and jewelry were piled up. I went to him, and he was willing to partner with us, and the terms were negotiated, but he made a request. ”

"What requirements?"

"The person outside the building staff is very cautious and says that he must meet with you before he is willing to contribute. The building staff is in his fifties and does not want to go far away, so you must come to visit. However, Pizhou is four or five hundred miles away from Chang'an, and the distance is really not close, I wonder if the king of Chu is willing to work hard? ”

Li Zhiyun thought for a while and said, "I'm not afraid of hard work, anyway, I haven't had any major events in Chang'an recently, so let's take a trip." Anyway, there are our shops in the castles you pass along the way, and you can check the business situation by the way. ”

"Okay, I'll prepare, and we'll leave in two days."

"Okay."

As soon as he finished chatting with his father-in-law-to-be about business, Li Zhiyun couldn't wait to go to the back house. He and Liu Yinglian haven't seen each other for half a year, how can they not be anxious to see her? Liu Yinglian already knew that he was coming, so she sent a personal maid to wait in the courtyard.