Chen Shi

After the birthday, the chaotic situation in Jiangnan gradually became clear.The performance of the prefects in Jinling and Hangzhou at the banquet has confirmed the Rong family's number one position in the south of the Yangtze River. There is no doubt that as long as Rong Yun does not have any accidents, the future Jiangnan will be the Rong family's world.The news that the Wu family and the Fang family brought their daughters to attend but were coldly received also spread throughout the cities. Inspired by the two families, aristocratic families who entrusted and protected the media flocked here, almost breaking the threshold of the Rong family.

The strange thing is that the matchmakers who came to the door were no less than [-], and none of them were rejected. They all said that the owner of the house was still young and had to look again.

The words "Let's have a look again" are really meaningful - if you decline, you can say that you will not consider it in the next few years, and set a time limit to make people rest. "Looking again" is different, it can be a second look at the life plan, or it can be a second look at the ladies of various families.

When Wu and Rong knew about it, they didn't care about being reserved, and hurriedly urged the matchmaker they had agreed to come to the door, and they got the same treatment as expected.

All of a sudden, rumors that the young master of the Rong family intended to get married spread like wildfire, causing disturbances all over the city.The streets and alleys, Qin Lou Chu Pavilion, are hotly discussed everywhere.

Only one place says nothing about it—

Rong family.

After Rong Yun's birthday, he often wandered outside and only returned at night, so he naturally knew the news that was circulating outside.It would be a lie to say that I am not curious.However, after that night, there seemed to be an invisible but tangible layer of thin ice between him and Rong Yun.

When talking, the thin ice stands in the middle, and both of them can feel the chill, but they dare not touch it, for fear of breaking it.

When we get along, thin ice is spread under our feet, and we take every step carefully.

Chen Zhi had only experienced this kind of oppressive atmosphere in the Southern Qi court, but he didn't expect to be a fairy at such a young age, and it would depend on his apprentice's face.

Seeing that the relationship between the two was stiff, Tan Shu specially brought wine to see him.

Chen Zhi invited him to sit on the roof.

It was the setting sun, and the afterglow was all over the sky.

Pink, orange, purple, and red clouds are like a colorful brocade, covering most of the sky, leaving only a small piece of light gray in the east.

But Chen Zhi's mood at this moment is like that light gray patch, no matter how colorful the world is, it has nothing to do with him.

Seeing that he drank half of the bottle of wine in one gulp, Tan Shu hurriedly snatched the bottle back: "This is Shaoxing Huadiao, stolen from under my father's bed, I haven't even drunk it yet, you can't finish it in one sitting. He lowered his head and took a sip, sighed contentedly, turned his head and saw Chen Zhi staring at him without saying a word, his eyes were complicated and melancholy, and he couldn't help but feel a little hairy, so he had to send the bottle back, "If you want to drink so much, just say, Looking at me like that, I'm quite... very embarrassed."

Chen Zhi took the bottle, but didn't drink it right away: "You and Master Lin get along very well."

Tan Shu said: "It is rare for a father and son to have a relationship. Don't mortals have a saying? People are not plants, so how can they be ruthless." He sighed softly, "Since people are not plants, how do you know that plants are ruthless?"

Chen Zhi nodded with emotion, then leaned over suddenly, and asked with some embarrassment: "I haven't asked you all this time, how did you cultivate to become a spirit? Well, if you pour fairy water on Epiphyllum, will it cultivate into a human like you? "

Tan Shu was stumped, thought carefully for a while and said: "I don't know either. After I gave birth to spiritual consciousness, I learned to absorb the essence of the sun and the moon. After absorbing it for thousands of years, one day I suddenly felt hot all over my body. The spiritual power seemed to be rushing out of my body, and I felt extremely uncomfortable. I used to see ordinary people lying and rolling on the ground when they were suffering, so I wanted to learn how to roll and roll like a human, but who knew that I suddenly became a human."

Chen Zhi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that he would absorb the essence of the sun and the moon for thousands of years after he gave birth to his spiritual consciousness: "It seems that I will never see the epiphyllum bloom in my life."

Tan Shu blushed slightly: "What do you see the epiphyllum blooming for?"

Chen Zhi said, "Can't you see that I am a flower protector?"

Tan Shu wrung his hands in front of his chest, suddenly snatched the wine bottle from Chen Zhi's hand, took a sip, and said, "It's okay to show you." Before Chen Zhi was happy, he said shyly , "You can watch it after you become a fairy couple."

"……what!"

Frightened, Chen Zhi couldn't sit still for a moment, slipped and fell off the roof.

For a fairy, falling from the roof is not a big deal. After all, when he fell from the sky, he just made a "slap", and the shape of the landing was more complete than bird droppings.Unfortunately, when he landed, there were quite a few onlookers.

Rong Yun led the team, followed by the prefect of Hangzhou and other adults... This is very difficult to manipulate.

So, he could only dance his limbs, made a couple of empty strokes in the air, and landed on the ground again with a "slap".

"Master!"

The mournful cries came from far and near.

Just as Chen Zhi wanted to vomit blood to respond to the occasion, his back was stepped on. Although the other party quickly retracted his foot, no one can rely on where the footprints are.

In panic, Rong Yun didn't care about her appearance, and knelt on the ground to help Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi said, "Who stepped on me just now?"

Rong Yun's face was blank for a moment.

Chen Zhi said, "Is that you?"

Rong Yun saw that he was conscious, his face was ruddy, and he didn't seem to be in serious trouble, and finally regained his sanity, turned to look at the others, and winked at them.

All the guests, including Wang Zhifu, took a step back, saying that they were far away from the scene of the crime and beyond their reach.

Chen Zhi sat up slowly, untied his belt, and took off his outer robe. Rong Yun was shocked and asked him what he was doing.Chen Zhi put the footprints on the robe on his knees, grabbed Rong Yun's shoes and compared them, then glared at him.

Rong Yun said embarrassingly: "I saw Master fall from the top, I rushed over in a hurry and didn't stop..."

Chen Zhi complained: "The old waist is almost broken!"

Rong Yun hurriedly said: "No matter what happens to the master, the disciple will never leave."

Chen Zhi stared at him for a while, then suddenly knocked him hard: "I don't need you to be a teacher, I just hope you are obedient and don't talk nonsense."

Rong Yun knew that it was he who handed over a ladder, wanting to turn over what happened on the night of her birthday.

Life is not water, and it is impossible for the wind to pass without a trace.But people are good at hiding, whether it is feelings or memories, as long as they want to deceive themselves, they can deceive themselves and others.

He didn't want to deceive himself and others, so he could only deceive the master.

Putting on a skillful smile, he rubbed the place where he had been knocked, and bowed his head obediently: "I will always listen to Master from now on."

Anyway, listening and doing are two different things.

Chen Zhi was carried back to the room with the door panel covered with mattresses.

Several doctors consulted and said that he was fine, but Rong Yun was still not at ease, and pressed him on the bed, saying that he would not be able to get out of bed for ten and a half months, and had to rest and observe.

After finally blasting away the "little butler", Tan Shu jumped in from the window and asked shyly, "Are you okay?"

Chen Zhi said angrily, "What do you think will happen to me?"

Tan Shu said: "It must be very sad to eat dog shit under the eyes of everyone. How can it be all right?"

……

When you don't say it, I don't feel so sad in my heart!

Chen Zhi felt that his chest was so depressed that he couldn't breathe, and he might have suffered internal injuries from being angry.

Tan Shu said, "Don't tell Rong Yun about me drinking with you."

Chen Zhi said, "Are you afraid he thinks you kicked me off?"

"He didn't like us getting too close."

Chen Zhi was stunned.

Tan Shu said: "When I joined the Rong family, he hinted at me."

Chen Zhi said, "How do you hint?"

Tan Shu imitated Rong Yun's tone and said: "Although you are my master's friend, and I have a clear distinction between public and private, I will treat you equally, but it is not good for you to get too close to the master and attract gossip."

Chen Zhi: "..." Little fox, you still speak so grandiosely to provoke their friendship.

Tan Shu said: "I think what he said is also very reasonable. We are too close. If people suspect that we are a group, it will not be conducive to action. Maybe in the future, we will be divided into two camps, opposing each other. .”

Is it because he is afraid that he will be disgusted by Rong Yun after "revealing Chen Beili's true face" and implicate him?

However, according to his current relationship with Rong Yun, the possibility of being disgusted is extremely low.

Chen Zhi sighed, and found that after going down the mountain, he was a little lost.

His original task was to make Rong Yun hate Duanxiu, so as to start the emperor's road to attack Chen Xuanxiang in the west and Wang Zhixi in the north.But after this period of understanding, the grievances between Rong Yun and Chen Xuanxiang are not simply based on whether the other party has broken sleeves, and I don't have to cling to this point.Given the current situation, as long as Rong Yun continues to go down, the struggle with the Southwest King is inevitable.When he wins Guangdong and Guangxi, he and the North will be fighting against each other. It doesn't matter whether the other party raises young children in captivity.

and so……

My own existence is not only not a help to the task, but may become a hindrance.

Chen Zhi was stunned by the conclusion.

He asked Tan Shu: "Chen Beili's early death, will there be any adverse consequences for the mission?"

Tan Shu was taken aback: "Where did you fall? Why did you die young?"

Chen Zhi covered his lower body with the quilt, and said angrily: "I can't drink enough to make the sky rise, even if I fall down and eat shit, it's safe there!"

Tan Shu bowed her head shyly: "That's not what I meant."

Chen Zhi: "..." That's not what you meant, why are you embarrassed?

Tan Shu said: "Actually, you don't have to take the task as the task all the time. You are a mortal ascending, don't you miss the grand scene in the world? I think it's very interesting."

Interesting...?

When he was Chen Yingke, he really enjoyed nearly ten years of fun heartlessly, but the result was that the task was executed in a mess.Therefore, from the very beginning of this life, whether he wanted to or not, he walked with trepidation, for fear of repeating the same mistakes.The heavy burden on his shoulders made him feel the word "fun" for a long time, even when he was growing flowers, he couldn't relax completely.

Tan Shu saw that his brows were still furrowed, and said worriedly: "Only being free is a fairy. If you worry too much, you are prone to demons." He wondered if it would be better for him to die early.

Chen Zhi sighed, "I have my own measure."

Tan Shu: "..." In this case, it is better not to die early.Otherwise, it would be quite lonely in the mortal world without a speaker.

Ten days and half a month wasn't too difficult for Chen Zhi, anyway, it passed away in a daze.What's really hard is that the trance is always interrupted.

Just like now, after getting up and eating, there is nothing to do, just in a daze.

Chen Zhigang stared at the vase beside the bed for a while, when Rong Yun came in with a pile of books and clay figurines, she insisted on lying beside his bed to play, talking while playing, if she didn't agree, she would ask endless questions .

Chen Zhi was harassed for several days and couldn't stand it anymore: "Don't you have anything else to do?"

Before doing it differently, Rong Yun would definitely say nothing, and nothing else is as important as Master.But after several confrontations, he knew very well that the master didn't want him to put him first in everything, so he said: "Other things have been done."

Chen Zhi raised his eyebrows: "Have you finished the conscription that Wang Zhifu said?"

Rong Yun said: "I don't really have to worry about the conscription, but I just let you know in advance, and I will ask for money when the time comes."

Chen Zhi frowned.He had hoped that the soldiers conscripted this time could become Rong Yun's team. If the government took full responsibility, it would be difficult to control them in the future.

Rong Yun always knew that Chen Zhi wanted to win the world, but this matter was not easy for the Jiangnan family.Do not look at the house, Wu, Rong and other families are majestic in the south of the Yangtze River, but dating back to the Eastern Chen period, they are all small and inconspicuous families.It wasn't until Dongchen ruled the world, and several truly great families migrated to the capital, leaving only some clansmen in the south of the Yangtze River to take care of their ancestral property, that they had a chance to show themselves.Later, when Yang Zhongju took control of the government, the aristocratic family in Beijing was suppressed and unable to protect their hometown, so they took advantage of the situation and gradually gained a firm foothold.Today, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have already severed their ties with the capital, and their power has gradually stabilized.

However, there are also disadvantages.

The Fang, Wu and other families are said to be aristocratic families. There are not many scholars and scholars from their ancestors, let alone high-ranking officials.Over time, the bone smells like copper.

For example, this time to support the Southwest King.

In fact, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are richer than Guangdong and Guangxi. If they had the intention, why would they rush to the Southwest King eagerly? Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to become king on their own?Unfortunately, no one dared to think so.The nature of a businessman is to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. It is absolutely impossible to take the lead in rebellion and take risks. Investing in a person with potential and looking for a big tree for shade is in line with their consistent thinking.

If Rong Yun hadn't stayed on Siming Mountain for seven years, she might have followed their thinking.

However, the books in the study room have completely opened his eyes.

A penniless peasant uprising can still succeed, let alone him with a lot of money?

The question is whether to go down this road.

Originally, Rong Yun didn't have much interest. The common people in the world and the common people were all distant strangers to him.However, if this is the master's wish, if the master can stay by his side, then let's aspire to the world.

"Don't worry, I've already asked for [-] places, which will be put under the name of the Rong family, in order to meet the daily duties of housekeeping." He paused, and then said, "Afterwards, I will ask them to reopen shipping. At that time, There will naturally be more places.”

Chen Zhi saw that he was confident, so he stopped asking, and instead brought up a taboo topic in the mansion: "Hey, I heard that a matchmaker came in and out recently?"

Rong Yun raised her eyes to look at him, then lowered her head, and said softly, "Didn't Master let me get married?"

Chen Zhi was a little dry, and couldn't help but licked his lips and said, "Well, if you like it, I can palm your eyes for you as a teacher."

Rong Yun said calmly: "Alright, I will invite them all over in a few days, Master, please take a look."

Chen Zhi said: "Come over here?" Are you preparing for the draft before becoming the emperor? "This, it's too straightforward, isn't it good?" Besides, it's inconvenient for every female family member to move around.

Rong Yun said: "Master, don't worry, I have already invited my distant cousin over, and when the time comes, I will invite in her name."

Seeing that Rong Yun is so "active", Chen Zhi, as a master, is too embarrassed to continue to eat and wait for death, so he decides to stick an invisibility talisman and go to various houses to inquire about news, and help Rong Yun keep an eye on the base camp.

The first few days had little effect.Either watching the young master of the second room of the Fang family and the maid rolling around in the grass to perform a live erotic palace, or listening to several sisters-in-law of the Gu family get together to perform scheming.On the fifth day, he finally got some useful news lying under the window of Fang's master's study.

At this time, the news of the conscription and the invitation from the Rong family had already been released, and the Patriarch of the Fang family was scolding Rong Yun for being despicable and shameless together with a few cronies because of these two matters.

From the act of conscription, it can be seen that Rong Yun not only has no intention of taking refuge in the Southwest King, but even has the determination to expand Jiangsu and Zhejiang.If the Fang family insists on marrying him, they may end up with bad people inside and out, and the two sides will not get along.

Now that he has given up the idea of ​​getting married, he naturally spares no effort in scolding others. From the yellow-haired boy who has not been weaned, to the lone star who beats his father and his mother, he can scold as hard as he likes.Some cronies joked about Chen Zhi falling from the roof, and they were laughed at, saying that Chen Zhi was a swindler.

The head of the Fang family said: "The letter from the King of Southwest asking for a loan has already entered the city, and it is said that it was detained in Rong Yun's hands. I don't know what tricks that kid is going to do!"

The confidant said: "Wu and Gu both nodded and assisted in this matter. Whether Rong Yun is willing or not, they can't stop it."

The head of the Fang family said: "Since Jian'er was promoted to Minister of the Household Department, the Wu and Gu families have never had a peaceful life! We can't rely on them completely. We should first contact a few small families and get the food together."

The confidantes all nodded and expressed that they would definitely support Young Master Fang.

Chen Zhi thought about it outside: If Fang Bojian had already become the Secretary of the Household Department of the Southwest King, then Xiantong's mission should have been completed.It's a pity that I can't see his women's clothing, it's really embarrassing!

Although Chen Zhi had heard a lot of news, including the news that the Southwest King borrowed food, it was all within the scope of Rong Yun's knowledge, so he didn't disclose it.

With the visit of the distant cousin, Chen Zhi's behavior of "not coming home at night" also came to an end - the cousin's spirit was so good that after coping with the whole day, she was too tired to lift her feet at night.

Fortunately, the day when the ladies from various families are invited will come soon.

In order to avoid suspicion, Rong Yun went out early and followed Wang Zhifu to the conscription site.In order to keep his eyes open, Chen Zhi made an excuse to stay behind, sticking this invisibility talisman and wandering around, looking for the legendary Miss Wang.

There are so many ladies in the family, and there are 36 of them in total—not counting Wu and Fang.There are six people surnamed Wang, including Wang Zhifu's daughter, but this is a married woman who came here specially this time to save Rong Yun's face.

The other five Chen Zhilue took a look, two were only eight or nine years old, they were still children, and the three were like Xiaojiabiyu, and their appearance was not particularly outstanding.It's not that old Wang is selling melons and boasting, but that Rong Yun is so outstanding in comparison, I really can't imagine who is the Miss Wang who has a relationship with Rong Yun.

The cousin was like a fish in water, the 36 girls not only greeted and chatted one after another, but in the end, each of them remembered it vividly and spoke clearly and logically.

In the afternoon, the banquet was in full swing, and Rong Yun came back abruptly.Although they looked solemn, they still made a group of young girls spring up.

Chen Zhi is not a girl, so of course she doesn't germinate. Since she doesn't germinate, he is more concerned about why Rong Yun suddenly ran back with a serious face.In order to find the answer, he squatted under the study window familiarly.

Rong Yun sat alone in the study and drank tea, the solemnity on her face faded, and she looked leisurely.

Chen Zhi was about to go in to find out what was going on, when he heard the servant report that the guests had arrived, and not long after, several close relatives including Tan Shu came in.

Rong Yun regained her dignified expression: "I just received the news that the King of Southwest wants to borrow food."

Chen Zhi raised his eyebrows.Just?

Some aristocratic families said that they just borrowed it last year, and it's only been a few months, and they actually have the face to borrow it again.

Rong Yun handed the letter to them for circulation: "According to him, if we don't borrow it, they will send troops to attack us!"

The other families immediately panicked: "What should I do?"

"We are still recruiting soldiers, so we can't afford to fight at all."

"Why don't you give some of it first and buy some time. In the past, Goujian also tried his best before returning to the country."

Rong Yun said: "You don't need to panic. Guangdong and Zhejiang are still separated by Fujian. Even if he wants to fight, he won't be able to fight for a while."

The other aristocratic families thought the same, and felt relieved.

Rong Yun said: "However, we must hurry up and prepare in case of changes."

Everyone else said yes, like his followers.

Rong Yun finally revealed her purpose: "The enemy is now, let's discuss my private affairs later, anyway, I am not yet weak, so don't worry."

The aristocratic families who found themselves caught in a routine were dumbfounded for a while, and when they realized it, the matter had become a foregone conclusion under the unanimous response of those aristocratic families without daughters.

Chen Zhi overheard the end and was stunned, completely unaware of such an ending.

At night, when Chen Zhi was about to go to bed after bathing, Rong Yun barged in, as if about to cry: "Master."

"What's wrong?" Chen Zhi was startled.

Rong Yun pouted aggrievedly: "My marriage is not settled."

"……What's wrong?"

"The King of Southwest wants to borrow food, but the aristocratic family disagrees. Seeing that the situation is about to become chaotic, they all say that the enemy is at hand, the business is important, and the marriage will be postponed to discuss later."

Chen Zhi was silent for a long time, and when Rong Yun looked at him anxiously, he said slowly: "Since other families say so, let's postpone the discussion."