Funing Hall

Zhao Cong was reluctant to use the drop-shaped fan pendant, although Rantao did make a tie for him, but he pressed the fan pendant under the pillow.

As the snow melted and the sun cleared, everything returned to normal in North Korea.

Zhao Cong's state of mind did not return to normal, but many things required him to make decisions, and he could only suppress his mixed emotions.

Xie Wenrui, who spent the New Year in Kaifeng Mansion, is about to go to Yongxing Army Road, before leaving, come to see him in the palace.

Zhao Cong and him are both monarchs and ministers, and they have long been friends.

Xie Wenrui came directly to Funing Hall to meet him, and after getting the pass, he walked into the hall.

Hearing footsteps, Zhao Cong looked up at him and said with a smile, "Wen Rui is here?"

With just that sound, Xie Wenrui realized that their majesty had really changed.

Although he said he was celebrating the new year in Kaifeng Mansion, he was in charge of military affairs on Yongxing Military Road, not a Beijing official. In these days after the year, he seldom participated in any court attendance, and rarely saw His Majesty.It was only heard that the young gentleman who had disappeared for five years had returned, and His Majesty was much pleased with it.Now when he is in the court, the subordinates are not as trembling as they used to be.

Looking at it today, it really is.He sighed in his heart, that little gentleman is really a formidable person.

At this moment, His Majesty in front of him, rather than changing, it is better to say that he has a little bit of the previous posture.

He collected his thoughts and saluted.

Zhao Cong pointed to the round stool in front of him: "Sit quickly."

Xie Wenrui was also polite, sat down immediately, and said: "Your Majesty, tomorrow I will leave for Yongxing Army Road."

"The snow has melted, and the road is easy to walk."

"Exactly."

Zhao Cong laughed again: "It's just that I called you here today because I have other business."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Zhao Cong pointed to the territory map he was looking at on the table: "Wen Rui, I want to send you to Dengzhou."

"Your Majesty?" Wen Rui looked at him puzzled.

"In the past few years, you have been supervising the horses on Yongxing Army Road, and the results are obvious. The horses that have been bred for a year or two are transported to other places, even to the south, and there is no discomfort. You have done a good job."

Xie Wenrui was a little shy: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compliment."

"I know that you have endured a lot of pressure in the past few years." Zhao Cong said, sighing, "Actually, it is not just you. When I proposed this move at the beginning, many ministers objected. The year before last, I ordered you to transport the horses to the south. When I went there, they were even more puzzled, and even my teacher came into the palace to persuade me. The land of the Central Plains has been a bit of an advantage since ancient times, and in times of peace, people are often too peaceful and somewhat complacent." Zhao Cong pointed out Pointing to the Guangxi two roads on the map, "They thought it was a waste to send horses to these two places. The southwest has been peaceful since the founding of the country. At this time, it seems that the threat is not as good as the north, but once they fight..."

Xie Wenrui's face turned cold after hearing this: "I understand this truth!"

"Fortunately, you can withstand the heavy pressure. When you came back years ago, I heard from you that a few people under your command are also very useful. At this time, you should also do other things. Everything will be done if you do not predict it. Useless!"

Xie Wenrui frowned and carefully looked at the territory map on the table. After thinking for a while, he raised his head and asked, "Your Majesty wants to send ministers to Dengzhou to form a navy?"

Zhao Cong smiled: "As expected of Wen Rui!" He added, "It's just more than that."

Xie Wenrui looked at him seriously.

Zhao Cong was playing with a small fan pendant in his hand, his eyes didn't look at the table, he didn't know where to look, and murmured: "Dengzhou is near the sea, they can only see this, and they often think that there is no salt field in Dengzhou. There is no need for the army. The ministers even thought that the navy was useless because there was no water in Liao and Xia. But they forgot that there are other places across the sea from Dengzhou."

Xie Wenrui immediately looked at the territory map again, and across the sea was Jurchen. These were two words written by His Majesty himself.and Korea.

When it comes to war, if you don’t fight others, others will come and fight you.Aggression is human instinct.

Since it is necessary to fight, it is naturally better to have the initiative, but how to grasp the initiative is also worthy of deliberation.It is stupid to take the initiative blindly and recklessly.The smart way is to attract others to fight first.

Everything in the world can be summed up in one simple sentence: big fish eat small fish.

He wants to be a big fish with his country.

In the past few years, the Liao Kingdom had a tendency of allowing Nuzhen to become a vassal state, but the drama that was staged in their Song Dynasty was also staged in the Liao Kingdom, and it was even more lively.The emperor of the Liao Kingdom passed away, and several princes and queens fought fiercely.In addition, Gu Ci fanned the flames in Yeluqin's ears. Yeluqin was also a member of the royal family, and his mind was always active. He even threw himself into the melee, making the battle situation even more chaotic.

In today's Liao Kingdom, the former emperor's empress, who is now the empress dowager, governs and assists her biological son, but her biological son is less than three years old.The other princes refused to accept it, and they did not listen to the Queen Mother. Instead, they united against the Queen Mother.Only Yeluqin, with a different mind, was trying to curry favor with the Empress Dowager of Liao.

It was too late for them to fight themselves. Yeluqin didn't have time to come to this year's grand meeting. Since fighting hindered their vision, they naturally didn't have time to recruit Jurchen.Zhao Cong thought that for him, and for Da Song, it was a good time to win over Jurchen.Jurchen is on the left with the Liao Kingdom, and on the right is Koryo. The geographical location is really important.

Moreover, once Jurchen develops, Yu Dasong is the real crisis, and he will kill the other party in time.

Zhao Cong didn't explain his thoughts carefully, but just looked at him again: "Your best friend, Gu Ci, still hasn't returned after Chinese New Year this year?"

Xie Wenrui was a little disappointed, and bowed his head: "He has not returned, he has no father and no mother, and he is deserted when he comes back."

Zhao Cong didn't look at his expression carefully, but said regretfully: "It's a pity, I have always wanted to see him with my own eyes. In recent years, thanks to him, he is really good at bluffing Yeluqin to befriend him, Yeluqin is very difficult to deal with. He is neither a gentleman nor a villain."

Only then did Xie Wenrui show a smile.

"Next time you communicate with him again, tell him that when you come back in a few years, I will send him an errand."

"Your Majesty, if he wasn't a weirdo, how could he have fooled Yeluqin around? He has always been clever, and he can even dance a great master, so he can bluff people because of this. Liao people have always believed in these things. It is also because he is a weirdo, and he has never been willing to do it for him." Officer, back then it was just a Juren examination."

"Even so, for such a gentleman, I would like to meet face to face and thank you."

Xie Wenrui immediately stood up and bowed: "How can he deserve His Majesty's thanks."

"I said yes, so I can." Zhao Cong pressed his hand down, "Sit down, Wen Rui. You go to Yongxing Military Road, and come back as soon as you make arrangements. Zhen will send someone to replace you. After that, Then you go to Dengzhou. I will give you an official position of "Quanzhi Dengzhou", and I will issue the appointment documents. I will send you to Dengzhou on this trip. He will secretly bring a batch of newly developed crossbows and bows to the past. You will experiment more and get along well. He is a very good-natured person. As for the recruiting of the navy, we will make arrangements after you settle down there. , everything is equivalent to banning soldiers, and I will also ask Dengzhou Zhizhou to give you full support. Just don’t say anything and be cautious in everything, the real purpose of this trip is only known to you and me.”

Xie Wenrui responded one by one.

Zhao Cong explained some more, and then said: "In the past few years, you have worked hard outside, and it has also delayed your marriage and childbirth. How about, is there a young lady in the family? I will give you a marriage." Giving a marriage is also decent .

Xie Wenrui quickly lowered his head and whispered: "Not yet."

Zhao Cong laughed secretly, even though he was 23 years old, Xie Wenrui still had the heart of a child, so he was so embarrassed to talk about these things.At his age, who doesn't already have children?

He smiled and said, "Forget it, there is no rush, but if there is someone you like, you should let me know. I will make the decision for you."

"Yes."

After discussing the business, the two chatted and laughed, and Xie Wenrui left.

After Xie Wenrui left, Zhao Cong went to the inner room, sat back on the couch, leaned against the pillow, and looked at the small water droplets in the palm of his hand.

Here, getting married at the age of 16 is quite normal.

Little Eleven happens to be 16 years old this year.

Shouldn't he be giving Xiao Shiyi a marriage for his own selfishness?

Just as he was thinking, Rantao came in to pour tea for him, he raised his head and asked, "Has he come back yet?"

These days, Zhao Shiqi still ran outside the palace all day long, the harder he ran, the more reluctant Zhao Cong was to let him go out of the palace.The time they spend together is getting less and less.When he really left the palace, would he still have time to enter the palace?

Ran Tao smiled and said: "When Xie Liulang was going out, he happened to meet Mr. Xiao Lang, and they went out of the palace together again."

Zhao Cong said "Oh", feeling even more disappointed.

Is it because he has been the emperor for a long time, and he is too majestic, so Xiao Shishi doesn't want to be with him now.And his two lifetimes add up, he is already quite big, is his thinking a little too old?On the contrary, is it a young man like Xie Wenrui that Xiao Shishi is willing to date?

Zhao Cong sighed, and asked Rantao in a low voice: "Did I control Xiaoshi too strictly? When he goes out of the palace, I will have many of them follow him."

Rantao heard his Majesty's low voice, his heart trembled, he glanced at him carefully, and said softly: "Your Majesty loves Xiao Langjun, that's why he treats him like this. How old is Xiao Langjun? He's only sixteen! It's time to teach well, and fortunately our young gentleman has grown so well in the first five years. Your Majesty also knows that many gentlemen in Beijing are idle all day long and don't know how to do business. Your Majesty is for the good of Xiaolang, That's why he restrained him like this. With His Majesty's personal teaching, our little man will be better."

Rantao is really good at persuading people, Zhao Cong thought, no!

Naturally, he had to be optimistic about Little Eleven, otherwise what would he do if he was taken away!

He asked again: "Should I see his wife for him?"

Rantao said without any hesitation: "Your Majesty, Mr. Xiaolang is still young. It will be suitable when he is a few years older."

Zhao Cong was satisfied.

Rantao stood by the couch to accompany him, and he continued to think about Zhao Shiqi.

He was considering Zhao Shiqi's official position. Zhao Shiqi was a member of the clan, so naturally he didn't need to take the imperial examination, but he also had a lot of considerations about which position he would be assigned.

From the point of view of blind selfishness, he naturally hopes that his little eleven will be as prestigious as possible, and he can't wait to give him a match.

But despite this blindness, he also knew that the higher the Xiao Shi was placed, the more unfavorable it would be for Xiao Shi.

What's more, he didn't know Xiao Shiyi's ability to be an official.

Especially the Prince Wei's mansion had been trampled down by him, and he had never seen Prince Wei in recent years.Now that Xiao Shiyi is back, since he is all right, he should see Prince Wei.

There is no way, as an emperor, one must always pay attention to face-saving projects.

Especially in the Song Dynasty, softness and harmony were emphasized.He has only been in power for five years, and he can't change everyone's thinking at all.Zhao Cong lowered his head and took a sip of tea.He has already thought about it in his heart when he moved all the official positions in the court.He must be reluctant to put it outside.It's better to let Xiao Shi be a courtier, who is elegant and respected, doesn't have to endure hardship, has a high salary, and can often come to the palace.

Although Xiao Shiyi doesn't have to rely on his salary to eat.

Thinking of the salary, Zhao Cong raised his head again: "Where are the clothes for Xiao Shiyi?"

"Your Majesty, the Shangyi Bureau has sent a batch in the morning, and the rest are still being processed."

"Hurry up, it's getting warmer."

"Yes."

"How about the furniture for his house?"

"The size has been measured a long time ago. The main room in Mr. Xiaolang's mansion has been repaired, and the bed and couch have been placed in. After they are all repaired next month, they can all be moved in!"

Then Zhao Cong looked away again, thought for a while, and said softly: "Let the king of Wei County come to the palace tomorrow to see me."

"Yes." Rantao turned and went out.

Zhao Cong put down the teacup, picked up the fan pendant and continued to stare in a daze.

Apart from political affairs, Zhao Cong's mind is full of Zhao Shiqi and things related to Zhao Shiqi.

Zhao Shiqi had a drink with Xie Wenrui outside.

Xie Wenrui and him only met each other a few times, but the strange thing is that there is no strange feeling when they meet again.Zhao Shiqi said a few polite words and invited him to have a drink, Xie Wenrui readily accepted.

The two found a restaurant to sit down, and they actually got to chat.

Zhao Shiqi glanced at him and said, "I haven't seen you for many years, but Mr. Xie Lang is still the same as before."

Xie Wenrui has five years of experience, and he is not as restrained as he used to be. He smiled heartily: "My little man has changed a lot, he is taller than me!"

After Zhao Shiqi came back, the people in Funing Palace still called him "Xiao Langjun", and he couldn't bear to refuse.But after all, he was used to listening to it, and he could still accept it. Xie Wenrui called him like that, and he felt a little against it.

But he didn't want to be called according to the seniority of Wei County Prince's Mansion, after all, he didn't have Zhao family blood at all.

He didn't care about addressing anymore, but asked another thing he was interested in: "Is Mr. Xie Lang married?"

Xie Wenrui was a little embarrassed, why are you asking him about his family today, he bowed his head and said: "Not yet." After finishing speaking, he drank a glass of wine.In fact, there was a reason why Gu Ci didn't come back. He expressed his heart to Gu Ci, and Gu Ci no longer wanted to see him, but avoided him.Now that he doesn't even return to the country, he is really depressed.Every time he sent a letter to Gu Ci on behalf of His Majesty, there was always a letter of his own, but Gu Ci never responded.

Zhao Shiqi thought to himself, this is indeed the case in this life, in fact, he still wants to ask about Gu Ci in detail.He called Xie Wenrui out for a drink today because he wanted to know why Xie Wenrui was willing to do it for a man, not even a family.He even wants to know how men love each other.

But how would he ask?This is a private matter, so how can he ask more.Xie Wenrui himself did not want to say.

Zhao Shiqi was also a little bored immediately, so he simply drank with Xie Wenrui in a muffled voice.

After drinking like this, I drank to the top of the moon.

It was because Lu Yuan was afraid that if he drank any more, His Majesty would be angry again if he returned to the palace late, so he hurriedly said that he wanted to go back, and Zhao Shiqi came back to his senses.Xie Wenrui was already half-drunk, and it seems that the past few years have not been satisfactory.But his official career is just when the spring breeze is going well, and he is afraid that the road of love is not smooth.

Thinking about it this way, Zhao Shiqi became inexplicably more psychologically balanced, and told Xie Wenrui's servant to take him home carefully.

He also took Lu Yuan back to the palace.

When he got outside, when the wind blew, Zhao Shiqi could smell the alcohol all over his body.

His alcohol capacity is very good, he is not actually drunk, but the taste of alcohol is too much...

He couldn't help frowning, Zhao Cong would definitely be angry when he returned to the palace like this.If I get angry, I'm afraid that Lu Yuan will be fined, and maybe he won't be allowed to leave the palace in the future.But he still has things to do outside the palace, and he doesn't dare to stay in the palace for a long time.

These days, he ran outside the palace all the time, and there was naturally a reason.

When he came back this time, Zhao Cong treated him so well, even better than before. After a long time, he began to lose his way.Just like back then, he gradually became confused again.He even hoped that Zhao Cong would give him an errand earlier, and when he had something to do, he would naturally become clear again.But Zhao Cong has been dragging on, Zhao Cong didn't want him to suffer, no matter how he was in his previous life, with Zhao Cong, he was still a 16-year-old boy.

But he wanted to be Zhao Cong's sword and shield, and he didn't want to be a useless person under Zhao Cong's protection.

But he didn't dare to say it, and when he mentioned this, Zhao Cong thought he was going to leave again, and he was only angry.

Who can blame these?It's not that he blamed himself for leaving like that.

After thinking about it, he rode on the horse, looked at the street at night, and suddenly said: "I drank too much wine, you go back to the palace, I will go back to live in my house."

Lu Yuan was taken aback for a moment: "Xiao Langjun! The house hasn't been repaired yet!"

"Although the house has not been repaired, the main room is almost the same, and the bed has been put in, so there is a place to sleep."

"This—" Lu Yuan frowned.

"Go, if you don't go back, the gate of the palace will be closed. After you go back, don't talk about my drinking. Your Majesty will be angry, and you will be punished." After Zhao Shiqi said, he clamped his horse's belly and went to the palace. go ahead.

"Hey——" Lu Yuan and the other young eunuchs looked at each other, seeing him go away, the palace gate was indeed about to be closed, so they had no choice but to go back to the palace.

Zhao Shibing returned to the half-repaired house, where only a few maids bought temporarily by Yan Mo are currently living here.Seeing him coming back, he was naturally shocked.

He didn't talk too much, he just asked Yan Mo to get the wine.

Yan Mo brought the wine, and he sat at the stone table in the courtyard, continuing to drink under the moonlight.