Bright Spring

Zhu Gaoxu said with a smile: "Then I will be the emperor's concubine."

So Mu Zhen invited Zhu Gaoxu to sit on the kang by the window.A blanket was spread on the kang, and futons and tables were placed on it; at night, after collecting things and spreading bedding, the maids on duty at night could still take a nap here.

Chen Xianzhen took off his overcoat, and went to the kang with Mu Zhen to sit down.The kang was the warmest place, and if Chen Xianzhen sat on it wearing a fur coat, it would obviously not feel good.Both of them were kneeling on the futon, only Zhu Gaoxu was sitting cross-legged.The posture of kneeling is a manner passed down from the ancestors, but now that there are chairs and stools, Zhu Gaoxu seldom sits on his knees. This posture makes him feel very uncomfortable in his ankles and legs.

After a while, the maids brought three dishes of food and tea with dried fruit.I saw the so-called "youci", which is a bit like rice rolls, with thin skin and lots of fillings, and sauce is poured on the outside.Stuff has been cut, someone obviously tried it first.

"Come, have a taste." Zhu Gaoxu picked up the chopsticks and started to eat.The taste is not bad, but he still prefers seafood.

Mu Zhen's voice said: "Gao Siqing accompanied him on the northern tour, but he has been staying in Shandong for several months. What did the Holy One send him to do?"

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Chen Xianzhen, then looked at Mu Zhen and responded, "It's about the White Lotus Sect."

"Is Qing Gao finished?" Mu Zhen asked.

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head and said: "It can't be that simple. The governor of Shandong, Chu Yang, is a timid person, but he has been an official in Shandong for many years, so he must understand the truth. He knows that the White Lotus Sect has a foundation among the people. Only when there is a civil uprising will we adopt the strategy of appeasement. Of course we can directly investigate the White Lotus Sect, but doing so will easily make the government's public opinion among the people unfavorable, and become the opposite of the people, which is not conducive to the people's hearts."

Mu Zhen said softly: "I know the Holy Majesty must have a good plan, and I would like to hear how the Holy Majesty will realize his ambition and govern the world."

What she said inadvertently aroused Zhu Gaoxu's interest, so he said a few more words: "During the 'Battle of Jingnan' before, Jinan and other places in Shandong resisted fiercely and were extremely difficult to attack, and the Jingnan army suffered heavy losses. Zhang Yu, one of the three guards of King Yan, was damaged in Shandong, with hundreds of arrows in his body, and almost no intact skin on his body. In addition, the palace of King Yan was completely against the trend at the time, and the military pressure was extremely high. The control of the army is very relaxed. I have also witnessed the connivance of looting in the army.

The chief envoy of Shandong Province suffered from military disasters, and also suffered from the corvee labor of moving the capital and dredging the canal in the early days of Yongle, and the people complained a lot.The White Lotus Sect took advantage of the trend and developed in many places.

Therefore, the imperial court's strategy is not only to attack|attack the White Lotus Sect, but also to win the hearts of the people, which is a long-term and stable plan.We must first occupy the positive side of the public opinion, and then actually reduce the burden and provide relief to the victims, both of which are equally important.Gao Xianning followed his orders to do this. "

Mu Zhen said: "The Holy Majesty is strategizing, and the concubines only wait for the Holy Majesty to succeed."

Chen Xianzhen suddenly interjected: "After the loss of troops and generals, the Holy Majesty still uses gentle strategies to try to restore them. The Holy Majesty always treats people like this."

Zhu Gaoxu didn't quite understand the "always" in her words for a while, so he said casually: "The problem must be solved."

Just now when he talked about Gao Xianning with Mu Zhen, he seemed to have left Chen Xianzhen in the cold, and he didn't even comment on the meal she cooked with her own hands.Zhu Gaoxu thought of this, and said again: "This 'youci' is very delicious. It tastes delicious and not greasy. I ate a lot without paying attention."

Only then did Mu Zhen agree, "Miss Chen is ingenious."

Chen Xianzhen seemed a little happy, and said modestly: "It's not a rare thing."

The three of them chatted while drinking tea and eating snacks, waiting for the time for dinner.Chen Xianzhen and Mu Zhen sat side by side, opposite to Zhu Gaoxu.Perhaps because of his high or low status, Chen Xianzhen deliberately sat a little further back, a little further away from the cases, making it appear that Mu Zhen had a higher status.As a result, unless Mu Zhen turned her head to look at her, she could hardly see Chen Xianzhen; while Zhu Gaoxu who was opposite could see the two clearly from the corner of her eye.

Ordinary women generally cannot look directly in front of high-status men.But Chen Xianzhen kept looking at Zhu Gaoxu, her eyes shifted and her expression changed, as if it was the change of her mood.In the past, Chen Xianzhen blamed Zhu Gaoxu for insulting her, but now he is eyeing him again, which makes him a little confused and unable to understand this woman's mind.

The imperial concubine Mu Zhen is very beautiful. The delicate facial features, gentle and beautiful demeanor, and graceful figure on Tao Xin's small face are more beautiful than Chen Xianzhen.But Zhu Gaoxu is often with Mu Zhen, and what he feels the most is the intimacy.And Zhu Gaoxu hadn't seen Chen Xianzhen for several years. He had a skin-to-skin relationship with her a few years ago, and Zhu Gaoxu almost completely forgot what it was like, so that today he paid more attention to Chen Xianzhen than Mu Zhen.

Chen Xianzhen's position is a little far away from the case, but it allows Zhu Gaoxu to see the whole.Zhu Gaoxu thinks that when a woman is sitting, the folded posture of her legs and upper body is very beautiful, the skirt waist material at the hip will be stretched, and the folds of the fabric can make the beautiful outline of the woman more conspicuous; even if she is neatly dressed, it can also make her unique A part of the body line is shown.

After dinner, Chen Xianzhen left, and Zhu Gaoxu's arrangement for today has not changed in any way.It wasn't until the evening that Chen Xianzhen's previous appearance appeared in his mind by chance. Only then did he recall the momentary heartbeat in the afternoon.

The next day Zhu Gaoxu went to the study in the front yard to read some files and memorials at will.At this time, an eunuch reported that Chen Xianzhen wanted to meet the saint outside the door.

Zhu Gaoxu was slightly surprised, and asked someone to invite her in to talk.

Chen Xianzhen opened the curtain and walked in. She probably stood outside the door for a while, her face was pale from the cold, and her body trembled slightly.Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu kindly said: "Excuse me, come and sit on the kang."

"Thank you, my lord." Chen Xianzhen said, taking off the fur coat on his body.

Zhu Gaoxu was taken aback for a moment, because she was wearing that thin "coat" underneath, which was a gift from him to Chen Xianzhen.The dress was originally worn in summer, or suitable for the hot An Nanguo, so it was naturally very light; but she wore a fur coat outside at first, and it was okay to wear it inside.This dress is something beyond the times. It is completely different from the elegance of ordinary dresses, but it is cut very close to the body, showing a woman's slender waist and graceful figure.Because of the lightness and softness of the fabric, it is necessary to have a thick lining material inside for ordinary wear, so as not to lose its appearance.However, today Chen Xianzhen had a coat on the outside, and he only wore the "coat" inside, which seemed to have no lining at all.

Without any preparation, Zhu Gaoxu's emotions were very direct, and he didn't hide his gaze when he looked at Chen Xianzhen.

At the beginning, Ashali took the initiative to hint, but Zhu Gaoxu declined, maybe because Ashali said about Ben Yali's loss of sweat, he always felt that something was not good.But he didn't have such negative feeling towards Chen Xianzhen at all, not to mention that he had been close to Chen Xianzhen before.Now that Chen Xianzhen came over on his own initiative, Zhu Gaoxu showed no restraint.

Chen Xianzhen took off her shoes and was about to sit on the kang, but Zhu Gaoxu suddenly moved to the side of the kang and grabbed her wrist.Chen Xianzhen turned to look at Zhu Gaoxu, and the two looked at each other silently.Seeing that she didn't resist, Zhu Gaoxu pulled her back, wanting to hug Chen Xianzhen.She should have felt the changes in Zhu Gaoxu's body immediately, she pushed back feebly, and let him hug him anyway.At this moment, she spoke, and said in a low voice, "I can see the Holy Majesty, passing Debi and Eunuch Cao."

"Hmm..." Zhu Gaoxu responded casually.

Chen Xianzhen said: "The body is messed up for a while, the most important thing is that the hair is not easy to comb, and it stays here for a long time, they must guess it."

"So what?" Zhu Gaoxu asked back.

Chen Xianzhen said: "The Imperial Concubine kindly gave me my coat, but I took advantage of the Holy Majesty's visit yesterday to send oil to the Imperial Concubine. She may have been dissatisfied with me about this matter. What if I will be with the Holy Majesty again soon, the Imperial Concubine Won't you be angry? Once she thinks she's been used by me, I won't have any good fruit in the future."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded slightly, feeling that what Chen Xianzhen said seemed to make sense.Chen Xianzhen glanced at him, and after a while she proposed to use other methods, Zhu Gaoxu had to agree.Unexpectedly, she sighed again and said that she felt a little humiliated.Zhu Gaoxu didn't know how to answer, but felt that the woman's mind was unpredictable and couldn't keep up with her emotions.The chaotic state of mind is like the freezing cold outside the door and the warmth of the kang inside. In the quiet winter, people are still hiding indoors and chasing everything without stopping.

Chapter 951 Obsessed

Jinan, near the end of the new year, has a festive atmosphere. The red decorations in the streets and alleys complement the white snow on the ground. The sound of gongs and drums can be heard from far and near, and children are running and playing on the snow.

Gao Xianning has been in Jinan Mansion for some time.What he does the most is to hang out at various banquets, contact old classmates and friends, and make new friends in Shilin.Gao Xianning was a student in Shandong, and his deeds in fighting against the "Jingnan Army" in Jinan Prefecture were very consistent with Confucian loyalty and filial piety. Although he was later forced to serve in the Yongle Dynasty, he had already become a celebrity with a single article.Now that he is an imperial celebrity in the Wude Dynasty, there are naturally countless people Shilin would like to make friends with.

Today he returned to the mansion drunk again, only to see a man in black wearing a bamboo hat standing on the eaves in the yard.Gao Xianning suddenly saw this person, and immediately sobered up a bit.

The servant of the family stepped forward and whispered: "This man has the seal of Jin Yiwei. The old slave told him to go inside and wait, but he insisted on waiting for the master outside."

Gao Xianning walked to the eaves, the man in black lifted the bamboo hat up, clasped his fists in salute, and called "Master Gao".Gao Xianning immediately recognized that this person was a subordinate of Du Erlang, the Fushi of Beizhen. His surname was Chen, and he was a general.Chen Bazong has been in Shandong for a long time, and he has not only met Gao Xianning once.

People in Jinyiwei sometimes obey the orders of court officials, including generals who have worshiped the seal of the front general; at this time, some Jinyiwei school captains get errands to assist XX.

"President Chen, please." Gao Xianning said.

The two walked into the living room, Gao Xianning immediately closed the door.Mr. Chen also took off his bamboo hat and put it by the door. He was wearing tattered clothes, which was naturally completely different from the image he wore in the official uniform when he was in the capital.

Chen Bazong said directly: "Recently, the brothers who went to Linqu County, Qingzhou Prefecture, collected some things. One of them, the leader of the local White Lotus Sect, named Bailong, claimed to be a disciple of Maitreya Buddha. This person is good at Bewitching the people, there are many followers. Among them, those who are obsessed are obedient to him, and donate their own family wealth. Bailong not only uses this to collect money, but also spread|spreads fallacies, which violates ethics and calls all the men and women who are mixed together and called sisters."

He went on to say: "A few days ago, a man surnamed Huang got married in a local mountain village. On the night of the bridal chamber, the white dragon went into the bridal chamber to sleep with the bride, but asked the groom to wait outside the bed tent. The local elders thought that It was indecent, so I reported it to the county government, but the matter seems to have been suppressed."

Gao Xianning was surprised and said: "I have never heard that the White Lotus Sect has such teachings."

Chen Bazong clasped his fists and said: "As far as the general knows, there is no such thing. But now the White Lotus Sect is scattered and scattered, and there are often some people who use the name of preaching for self-interest. The White Dragon should be someone like this , in a remote place, under the pursuit of the congregation, they will do whatever they want, and it will become increasingly absurd. Those who are obsessed with it may not be able to measure it with the hearts of ordinary people."

Gao Xianning nodded and muttered: "If the White Lotus Sect didn't have such disasters, but if they were strict from top to bottom, and their words and deeds were united, I am afraid that their power would increase by a hundred times. It is because of their omissions that they would kill themselves."

Chen Bazong said: "Master Gao is right."

Gao Xianning paced back and forth, thought for a long time, then turned around and said, "Go to Qingzhou Mansion immediately to investigate the matter. I will go to the city afterward."

Chen Bazong suddenly reminded: "The New Year is coming soon, Mr. Gao, why don't you go after the festival? The last general's family is in the capital, and there is nothing else to do at the end of the year. You can go first."

"It's important." Gao Xianning said.

"Yes." Chen Bazong replied, and then left the house.

... Chen Bazong and his subordinates rode first on horseback.They went east to Qingzhou Fucheng, then turned south to the county seat, and joined the Jinyiwei Xiaowei who was sitting in the county government office.The three continued to go to the mountain village where the incident happened.

They wandered around the village and soon attracted the attention of several local villagers.Two old women came up to question them, asking what they were doing.

Mr. Chen said casually: "You two benefactors, do you believe in the evil religion? It can exorcise evil spirits, cure all kinds of diseases, and keep you safe when you leave."

One of the old women holding a wooden basin shook her head and said: "We only believe in the White Lotus Sect." The other was suddenly annoyed, and claimed to call for someone to come and arrest General Chen.