The happy life of a prodigal

Compared with today's Shang Dynasty, he is more concerned about what to eat tonight.

At the entrance of Fang Mansion, the carriage had already been waiting for a long time, Fang Xiu got on the carriage and walked straight towards the palace.

The guards of the palace were very familiar with the Zhonglang General of the Right Habayashi Guard, so they saluted respectfully and welcomed him in without asking any questions.

The palace, the main hall.

"See His Majesty the Emperor of Chu!"

After the civil and military officials have finished their salutes, it is the messenger of the grassland.

The Emperor Chu sitting on the dragon chair looked a bit more majestic than the one in the Nuan Pavilion.

His gaze stayed on the seventh prince for a moment, and he said lightly: "The envoy is exempt."

The voice is flat, but it gives people a feeling of not being angry.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor."

"Everyone has come from afar and worked hard all the way."

The Emperor of Chu looked down at the Seventh Prince, and said in a very flat tone: "Although there are many conflicts between the grassland and our country of Chu, the Qiyan tribe has the idea of ​​seeking peace, and our country of Chu should uphold peace as the most important thing, and we should not disagree with each other." Violation of..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor."

The Seventh Prince bowed and saluted, and said: "We are here this time, and we have something to ask for."

The expression on Chu Huang's face did not change at all, he was very indifferent, and asked, "What's the matter?"

The seventh prince took out a piece of cloth from his bosom, and said loudly: "The little king has admired Princess Anle of your country for a long time, and this trip is ordered by the Khan to beg to marry Princess Anle. ..."

The Seventh Prince's voice was still echoing in the hall, and many people's expressions changed.

Although the courtiers of the Chu State knew that the grassland people had just arrived in the Chu State, they visited the officials wantonly and revealed in their words that they wanted to marry the State of Chu, but no one cared.

Although the people of Chu State regarded the grassland people as barbarians and disdained them very much, the fighting power of the tribes in the grassland was obvious to all.

Therefore, if what the Seventh Prince of the Grassland said is true, a marriage can be exchanged for peace between the Chu State and the Grassland. .

Without waiting for the emperor of Chu and the civil and military officials to react, the seventh prince continued: "Although the grassland is barren, I am willing to send three thousand war horses to your country every year as a token of sincerity to marry the princess, and I hope your Majesty will agree... .”

The [-] grassland-produced war horses each year are a great temptation for the Chu State, and many people in the court have expressions of emotion on their faces.

Chu Huang coughed a few times, but did not speak.

On the side, the eunuch Liu Cheng suddenly made a move that surprised everyone.

With a look of panic on his face, he walked to the dragon chair, leaned over and whispered something in Emperor Chu's ear.

After Emperor Chu heard it, although there was no major change in his complexion, he could see some emotional changes in his eyes.

It can make Liu Cheng, the eunuch who has always abided by the rules, make such a presumptuous move, and change the expression of Emperor Chu, who has always been in front of the Taishan collapse without changing his expression.

Obviously, something happened to the court, and it will never be a trivial matter!

In the hall, neither the civil and military officials nor the Seventh Prince made a single sound. Suddenly, the whole atmosphere became a little strange.

After a while, Emperor Chu raised his eyes and looked at the seventh prince, with a difficult smile on his face, and said: "The matter of marriage is related to the relationship between Chu State and the grassland, and needs to be discussed in the long term.

You must have been tired after waiting for the envoys to come to the capital of our state of Chu from the grasslands all the way. I allow you to rest in the capital for a few more days, and discuss the matter of marriage later.

This is the end of today's court meeting, retreat. "

The court meeting had just begun, and it was ended by the Emperor Chu with a single sentence. This kind of thing is rare.

It can be seen that the matter reported by the eunuch Liu Cheng must not be a trivial matter, so His Majesty will end the court meeting early to deal with it.

All of a sudden, the faces of all the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty were more or less worried.

As for the Seventh Prince, he lowered his head silently and said nothing. His posture seemed to have been expected for today's matter.

Fang Xiu, standing in the row of military officers, was still wondering whether to eat beef hot pot or mutton hot pot tonight. When he looked up, he found that the court meeting had ended inexplicably.

Following the officials out of the main hall in a daze, he was a little dazed, not knowing what happened just now.

Leaving the main hall and walking nearly [-] meters, he suddenly stopped in his tracks with a dazed look on his face.

I'm so stupid...

I have been entangled in beef hot pot and mutton hot pot for so long, it would be better to have the two kinds of hot pot together.

After thinking through all this, a smile appeared on his face, and his steps became much easier when he walked.

Just as he was about to leave the palace to prepare ingredients for the hot pot, he was stopped by a young eunuch in eunuch costume.

"General Fang, please stay still..."

Fang Xiu looked up.

The person in front of him was not Zhang Wen, but an ordinary little eunuch, whom he had never seen before.

"what's up?"

Fang Xiu was puzzled, but the expression on his face did not change. He looked at the little eunuch and asked.

The little eunuch took out a token from his bosom, waved it in front of Fang Xiu, and said, "General Fang, Your Majesty has ordered you to wait for Your Majesty in the Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Your Majesty has something to tell you."

Fang Xiu was slightly taken aback.

Emperor Chu?

Shouldn't he be dealing with the matter that Liu Cheng reported before?

Or, discuss the possibility of marriage with the cabinet elders.

What are you doing to yourself?

At best, he is just a little Zhonglang general, even if there is something to order, just send a little eunuch to pass the message, why be so formal, let him wait in the Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"I see, please ask the father-in-law to lead the way."

No matter what, Emperor Chu's order cannot be disobeyed.

Fang Xiu let go of the doubts in his heart, smiled at the little eunuch, and looked in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Chapter 2 Not worthy of trust

The little eunuch led the way, Fang Xiu followed behind, and arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation in a short while.

To his surprise, there were already several familiar ministers waiting outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and some of them, whom he had met before, were all generals in the pro-army.

These generals are not comparable to Fang Xiu, a Zhonglang general. They are all real generals, and each of them is the supreme commander of a guard.

Fang Xiu looked at the generals waiting outside the Nuan Pavilion in front of him, subconsciously remembered the marriage proposed by the Seventh Prince, combined with what happened in the court before, he already had some guesses about the purpose of the Emperor Chu summoning him.

"Boy..."

Suddenly, Fang Xiu felt someone tap on his shoulder, and a strong voice came from his ear.

Turning his head subconsciously, he saw a familiar figure standing in front of him.

Ma Wenhua, Minister of the Ministry of War, stood in front of Fang Xiu, looked at him with eyes full of approval, smiled boldly twice, and said: "You performed well at the Honglu Temple banquet yesterday, and you didn't embarrass your father."

This statement always sounds a little strange.

But with the relationship between Ma Wenhua and his cheap father, there is nothing wrong with speaking in this tone.

If it is based on seniority, Fang Xiu still needs to call him Shi Bo.

"Master Shangshu is being polite, this junior is just..."

Fang Xiu smiled at Ma Wenhua. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a shrill voice from the direction of the Nuan Pavilion: "Your Majesty announces the audience..."

As soon as the little eunuch finished speaking, Ma Wenhua patted Fang Xiu's head heavily, and said carelessly: "When you were young, the old man once hugged you, but how come you have become so lively when you grow up...

In front of the old man, put away your tricks about outsiders, and follow the old man to meet your Majesty. "

After speaking, he walked towards the Nuan Pavilion.

Seeing this, the rest of the generals followed him into the warm pavilion.

Fang Xiu stood alone, subconsciously reached out and rubbed his shoulders.

Ma Wenhua didn't look sixty, he was also in his fifties. He didn't expect to be so strong.

Looking around, he saw that there was no one else in the Nuan Pavilion except the eunuch, so he also walked into the Nuan Pavilion.

The space of the warm pavilion is not very large. On weekdays, if the emperor wants to summon his ministers, it is usually the main hall during court meetings.

This time, although there were not many civil and military officials present, there were quite a few. Therefore, the entire Nuan Pavilion seemed a bit crowded.

After saluting to the Emperor Chu, Fang Xiu and several generals all stood aside.

Because the chairs in front already have owners.

The three Cabinet Great Scholars, Minister of War, Minister of Household, and Minister of Rites sat on both sides.

The Emperor Chu sat behind the table expressionlessly, glanced at everyone's faces, and said, "The Qiyan tribe united with the other tribes in the grassland to assemble a hundred thousand cavalry and display the frontier. What do you think of this matter?" ?”

As soon as Emperor Chu finished speaking, the generals standing next to the cabinet scholars all showed shocked expressions on their faces.

The mission led by the seventh prince of the Qiyan Department is still in the capital of Chu State, discussing the matter of marriage, how could the Qiyan Department send troops to the frontier at this time.

Do they want to use this method to force the court to agree to their marriage request?

This...doesn't take me too seriously, Da Chu!

All of a sudden, several generals showed more or less angry expressions on their faces.

As for the three cabinet bachelors, they seemed very indifferent.

Ma Wenhua and the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu looked at each other, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that this move by the Begging Yan Department is a provocation to the majesty of my Great Chu, and it must not be tolerated!"

When Emperor Chu heard this, he didn't shake his head or nod, but turned his eyes to the Minister of Household and the Minister of Rites.

Hubu Shangshu is an old man with a gray beard. Seeing this scene, he already has the answer in his heart.

He stood up, bowed respectfully to the Emperor of Chu, then straightened his waist, looked at the Emperor of Chu, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, although the national treasury is not abundant, but if there is a war with the Qiyan Department, I promise that the Household Department will never give up." There will be no loss of a piece of money from the frontier soldiers!"

Hearing this, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites raised his head and glanced at Shangshu of Hubu. He wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth, but he still didn't say it.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Chu showed a slight smile on his face, and said: "This matter has not yet reached the point of war, but it should not be underestimated. The purpose of calling the ministers is to discuss countermeasures."

Generally speaking, this kind of matter should be discussed by the six ministers and the three cabinet scholars.

However, His Majesty summoned several generals in the capital, and his attitude was clearly very clear.

The dignified Chu will never marry the princess to the grassland under pressure. This is a matter of principle.

However, for some people in the court, just marrying the princess to the grassland can solve a problem that has plagued the Chu state for nearly a hundred years. This is a very cost-effective deal.

In front of interests, a princess is nothing.

As long as the Qiyan tribe agrees not to invade Chu State, even if the other tribes of the grassland unite together, they will not be able to cause too much trouble.

Coincidentally, the conservative force above the imperial court is led by Yang Zheng, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who is second only to the three cabinet scholars in the six ministries!

The white-haired Yang Zhengchao glanced around, and none of the people present was conservative.

In addition, His Majesty also summoned a small Zuozhong Lang general. What does this mean?

It has only been a few days since Fang Xiu led people to make a big disturbance in the Shangshu Mansion. There should be few people in the capital who did not know about it. As the emperor, it is impossible for the Emperor of Chu not to know about it.

However, he summoned him on such an occasion, except that this person did have some talents, so he had no intention of beating him.

After many years of ups and downs in the officialdom, step by step to the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, Yang Zheng obviously has his own plans for the current situation.

Keeping silent is his best strategy.

No matter what these people said, as long as His Majesty did not make it clear, he would assume a posture of not participating in it.

This also shows his attitude to a certain extent.

"His Majesty......"

A general stood up, bowed to the Emperor of Chu, and said loudly: "I think that the Begging Yan tribe is a wolf's ambition, even if His Majesty agrees to their marriage request, it is impossible for them to maintain a peaceful relationship with me, Great Chu.

After the marriage, in a short period of time, the friction on the frontier may be reduced, and the incidents of grassland robbers burning, killing and looting may also be reduced.

However, on the grassland, all kinds of materials are scarce, and it is impossible for them to give up the habit of looting they have developed over the years because of a marriage, and it is impossible to change their nomadic living habits.

Once we give up our vigilance on the grassland, they will immediately reveal their true nature, and it only takes one opportunity to tear up the marriage treaty.

Grassland barbarians are not worthy of our trust! "