long friend

Nanliang and the Turks went to war again after decades, and it was extremely difficult for the cavalry guards and troops stationed abroad who had their salaries cut.

The Turks seemed to be enlightened overnight, and they understood that they could not only attack one city and plunder the territory. They organized and disciplined their troops into two groups, and invaded from Yanmen and Yunmen passes respectively, and took down five cities in a short time.Fortunately, the Xiao cavalry guards were well-trained and the support was quickly in place. Su Zhi led troops to attack Yanmen Pass by surprise, while Zhang Li stayed behind in Yanzhou, and also divided into two battles.

The two sides fought each other for four months, but the Turkic logistics was inexperienced, so they had to retreat.Su Zhi led the army to pursue the victory and took back Youzhou City again.

The army returned triumphantly, but no one showed joy.When passing through Xuzhou, Shen Chengjun calculated the whole way, and suddenly said: "This time Huyantu withdrew so simply, could there be any fraud?"

It became a habit for Zhang Li to argue with him, and he said, "What's the trick? They can't keep up with the food and grass. If this goes on, the Turks won't even have food this autumn—" He said happily, and stopped himself as soon as the words came out. down.Zhang Li looked over, and sure enough, Shen Chengjun and Su Zhi stared at him with the same disdainful eyes right next to him.

Zhang Li felt apprehensive, swallowed his saliva, and said tentatively, "...they don't really think so, do they?"

Shen Chengjun said deeply: "If you really want to fight a long-lasting battle, Huyantu is really a talent. It seems that being imprisoned in Jinling not only did not wear down his will, but also taught him a lot..."

Su Zhi nodded and said: "After returning to the court, Cheng Jun, you sort out a booklet and pass it to Zhong Mi, and write down the pros and cons of it - I will not go to your majesty's place, lest you ask for this or that at the first opening, and cause trouble. I have to face a troublesome kid when I go home, think about it, if it wasn’t for the seriousness, I would have stayed in Xuzhou.”

Shen Chengjun knew what he was talking about. Reminiscent of the complicated expression of the "little brat" before, he couldn't help laughing and said: "Young master, you are serious, the young master is an obedient child."

Hearing this, Su Zhi's face became a little colder: "What I want is not an obedient child."

The topic about Su Yan was changed after a while, and Shen Chengjun remembered Su Zhi's worries, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Huyantu was playing a big game of chess.They are used to treating the Turks as barbarians, and think that they are a group of uneducated barbarians who drink blood, but now...

Generations of Turks have lived by water and grass, and the severe winter in the north of the Great Wall is long and bitter, and it is not suitable for food growth. Therefore, since they have some troops, they have been thinking about their southern neighbors year after year.

Most of the time, Nanliang and Turks lived in peace and maintained peace. The two countries got along with each other, and Liang Guo took advantage of it.They usually exchange grain with the Turks for cattle, sheep, horses, and even other treasures looted from the grasslands.This is obviously a long-term unequal treaty, so after a long period of peace, they fight again, and when they get tired of fighting, they sit down and talk for peace.

This time, Huyantu asked Nanliang to spend all his troops north of the Yellow River to fight against him for almost half a year, but no one got any advantage.From Qingguang County to Yingzhou, no millet was planted in the places trampled by iron hooves.

There is fire in July, and the midsummer is far away, so wait until the autumn harvest... Although the five counties in the south of the Yangtze River, Dongting, Bashu and other places are rich in materials, they are far from enough to feed the people of the whole country.

If no countermeasures are taken, it will inevitably cause a famine that will spread to the north.

Amidst such worries, Su Zhi led the army to return triumphantly, he thanked him, and then politely declined all the ceremonies that Xiao Yan was going to prepare to welcome the wind and reward the army.He acted swiftly and resolutely, and only explained the defense of Gyeonggi to Zhang Li, and then rushed back to Pingyuanhou's mansion in a hurry.

Shen Chengjun joked: "I'm afraid this is the first time our commander is in a hurry to go home."

Knowing that he had returned, Hou's mansion became more lively.

Mrs. Cao's condition is much better now, Xu Shi started to take care of the housework again, and her complexion is healthier.Su Zhi was secretly astonished by this wonderful change, and walked around the courtyard before realizing something was wrong: "...Where's Yan'er?"

Mrs. Cao smiled and said: "Recently, I have learned to be good. I often chant the Buddha with me. I am still copying the scriptures in the Buddhist hall. After a while, he will come over for dinner. The general has worked hard, so sit down first."

She was even a little relieved when she said it, but Su Zhi heard one head and two big words: "What scriptures are you copying? You want to become a monk? This kid is endless, right——Didn't you tell him the most important day of my return this time?" thing?"

Mrs. Cao covered her mouth and said, "I told you a long time ago. Yan'er has grown up a lot recently. He led the army to patrol the capital during the day, went as far as Xuancheng in Yuzhou, and came back to live at night. Unlike his friends, he never Don't hang out outside - His Majesty praised him endlessly, saying that he has the strength of your past. What else do you have to worry about?"

Su Zhi hesitated to speak with a full face, finally sighed, and took Mrs. Cao's hand: "It's not that I don't trust him...he has been obedient since he was a child, but I'm afraid he won't."

"The in-law relationship is to consolidate the situation in the court. Peace between civil and military forces is the best policy. Yushi is not a powerful minister. The girl he marries is beautiful and educated... Ayan knows the general idea and will not be confused about this matter."

"I hope I'm thinking too much..." Su Zhi murmured, finally relaxing a bit.

He leaned back in the chair, and was about to chat with Mrs. Cao, when suddenly a person came in from outside the door.Su Zhi's eyes lit up, this boy has grown a lot taller than the last time he left Jiangnan, who is it but Su Yan?

The father and son haven't seen each other for more than a year, and neither is good at expressing people, so everything has to be kept silent.

Seeing him standing there in a daze, Mrs. Cao winked at Su Yan. The mother and son must have discussed it beforehand. Su Yan quickly said, "Father, it's good to be back safely."

Even though he knew it was taught by his mother in advance, Su Zhi still felt that it was very useful, and said: "My son has grown up."

The owners of the Pingyuanhou Mansion had a happy reunion dinner after a long absence, as if their respective haze over the past few years had been put aside for the time being.

The night is quiet, but the sky is not clear, and the rising autumn wind is brewing a sycamore rain.

At the court meeting the next day, the excerpts played by Da Sikong Zhong Mi put down the anger that Xiao Yan had not had time to ignite.Originally, the emperor wanted to liquidate Qingguang County's annual floods one by one. After reading the scriptures, his arrogance was first extinguished. When he saw Su Zhi standing among the officials with an unhappy face, his anger disappeared immediately.

"Su Aiqing doesn't have to worry about the autumn harvest." Xiao Yan coughed twice, and said, "As soon as the two armies were handed over, someone suggested to me that the worst outcome in the north is not the loss of soldiers, but no harvest. Winter Sent people to the south to investigate, and finally found that rice can be planted in the north of Yazhou and the south of Nanling. This year, as soon as the spring began, Tai Changqing went south to supervise the spring plowing. The climate in the south is hot, and the harvest has already been harvested in June. Although the quality is not as good as that in the south of the Yangtze River, but Aiqing's heart can be put back in her stomach."

Su Zhi's face was unclear, so he felt that his worries all the way had been wasted, so he secretly gave Zhong Mi a puzzled look.The other party moved a step to the right, and then whispered: "... His Highness the Sixth Highness mentioned it."

Su Zhi suddenly became more puzzled: His Highness the Sixth?Is that Xiao Qichen who idles around every day and doesn't do his job?He can put forward such a forward-looking suggestion, that's really... Shibie treats each other with admiration for three days.

He thought so, looking forward.

Xiao Qichen stood at the edge of the queue, trying his best to shrink himself into a piece of paper, looking inconspicuous.His side profile is soft, even a little feminine when his eyebrows are downcast.

But Su Zhi has been through the battlefield for a long time, and he can see at a glance that his avoidance is not because of weakness, on the contrary, Xiao Qichen has a tough temperament in his bones, even when he is standing like this, his back is straight.Compared with his two imperial brothers, Xiao Qichen seems to have more potential to "control the power of the world lightly".

Su Zhi didn't care how the court was changing rapidly, as long as Xiao Yan believed in him and the soldiers respected him, he wouldn't take a look at the other civil servants even if they were arguing.He was not surprised by Xiao Yan's undecided heir. Like most people, after Xiao Qiping's accident, he firmly believed that it would be Xiao Qiyu.

But now... Su Zhi withdrew his gaze, shook his head lightly, and said to Zhong Mi: "The Sixth Highness is not simple."

A smile appeared on the corner of Zhong Mi's lips, but it was only fleeting, and he exchanged views with him quietly.

After leaving the court and returning to the residence, Su Zhi talked to Su Yan for the first time, and asked, "Have you seen His Highness the Sixth Highness recently?"

This was an ordinary greeting, but a strange blush appeared on Su Yan's face. At first, there was only a little bit, and finally the whole face became abnormally red like a fever, spreading all the way to the ears.

He didn't know what he was thinking, and he stammered after a long while: "I haven't, I haven't seen him recently... He stayed at home for a night in spring, and then it seemed that something happened. Every time I saw him, he didn't... Alone..."

The voice gradually became quieter, and Su Zhi glanced at him inexplicably: "If you haven't seen it, then you haven't seen it." Then he recounted the events of today's court meeting and asked Su Yan what he thought.

Su Yan thought for a while, and said: "The Sixth Highness is not an idiot besides gold and jade. Although he is young, he has a lot of ideas about political affairs. I think he... I don't know if he wants to be different or for some other reason. His plans and life The attitude was different from the norm in the past, he was more pragmatic."

Su Zhi knew that he and Xiao Qichen had a good relationship, so he didn't intend to ask Su Yan anything, but he said a lot, but it coincided with him, and he said with satisfaction: "That's true, maybe it's because the Sixth Highness Not being coaxed since I was a child, I see things more down-to-earth. Planting rice fields in Yazhou will not only solve the famine in the seven counties of Hebei this year, relieve the pressure on the imperial treasury, but also once and for all... This What a brilliant idea."

"His Royal Highness has also revealed to me a little bit about other things. He is currently in the Imperial College, dealing with the Four Books and Five Classics. In fact, he has studied the predecessors' literature on mountains and rivers and water conservancy. He plans to call the water conservancy craftsmen from all over the country with the Taifu to prepare to solve Qingguang County. annual floods."

"The idea is very good." After Su Zhi finished his evaluation, seeing that Su Yan wanted to keep talking, he quickly interrupted him, "Your Highness is half a year younger than you, and what people talk about every day is the national economy and the people's livelihood, what about you?"

Su Yan immediately felt wronged and said, "It's you who didn't let me go to the battlefield, otherwise I will definitely accompany you to kill the enemy and Weiguo this time!"

"Speaking of this..." Su Zhi rolled up the military book in his hand, and tapped Su Yan on the top of Su Yan's head lightly and deftly, "Don't go to the school ground after lunch later, dress up at home, don't ask you to be a good-looking person, at least Don't be ashamed."

Su Yan asked vigilantly, "What are you doing?"

Su Zhi smiled, and stuffed the book of war into his arms: "Wait for someone to inspect the goods."

There are three major restaurants in Jinling, named Yanyu, Qingxiao and Hexi respectively.Among them, Qingxiaolou used to be a brothel, and it was not allowed to be on the stage. Noble people would not hold banquets here; there were kabuki singing in Yanyulou, which seemed a bit unscrupulous. Young people liked to go there, but hosting family banquets was frivolous.

Only Hexi Tower was originally the official property.Emperor Xuanzong of the former dynasty had dinner here during his southern tour, and the value of Hexilou rose a lot at once, and it is even more favored by noble families today.

When Su Yan was taken into a side room by Su Zhi, sitting in front of him was Li Bin, the censor who had just met by chance.Mrs. Li and Mrs. Cao familiarly chatted about homework, Su Zhi squeezed him in, and Su Yan realized that there was a... girl in the corner.

Girls usually don't meet people before they get married, but there is one exception.

Su Yan suddenly didn't dare to look at her, turned his head aside, and poured himself a few cups of tea.He ate food in silence, and when he was asked occasionally, he answered a few words in a lukewarm manner.Miss Li's family never opened her mouth, and she was so reserved that when Su Yan recalled, she didn't remember whether she moved her chopsticks.

Mrs. Yu Shi took a good look at her words and called Su Yan first: "Is this A Yan? You are already a captain at a young age. I heard from my husband that the defense of Gyeonggi is also thanks to you—a young talent, well-deserved reputation."

Su Yan nodded politely and said, "Madam is absurd."

"My Rongniang has admired heroes since she was a child," Li Bin interjected and gestured to Su Yan, "I heard that I'm going to have a family dinner with the general's family today, and I'm so nervous."

Mrs. Cao smiled and said, "It's just a common meal, Rong Niang doesn't have to be nervous."

"This is the only daughter under our knees. My husband dotes on her very much, and her two elder brothers are also spoiled. She usually doesn't listen to anyone at home. It's only when I went to Hexi Tower today that I met Lord Hou and Lord Xiaohou. More." Mrs. Li patted her daughter's hand lightly, "Why don't you say anything?"

Only then did Miss Li raise her head, revealing a face with light brows, and said to Su Yan, "I've seen Young Master."

At first, Mrs. Cao said to Su Yan that it was "beautiful and beautiful", but now when he saw the deity, Su Yan couldn't help but choked his breath in his throat, and couldn't breathe out for a long time.

Ms. Li's boudoir name is a velvet, she speaks weakly, and looks sick.Her complexion was too pale, and her lips were bloodless, but her eyebrows and eyes were as black as crow feathers. When she glanced over, Su Yan was inexplicably shocked by the strange eyes.He hastily turned away, focusing on the glass in front of him affectionately.

He frowned slightly when he heard his parents chatting speculatively with Yushi and his wife, thinking: "Am I really going to marry her?"

However, no one cared about his opinion. The adults exchanged cups and drinks, and in the end they all smiled on each other, as if the marriage was a certainty.Only the two involved were expressionless, like puppets in the hands of merchants from the Western Regions in Yesi, giving orders and actions, and they couldn't see how happy they were.

Su Yan and Li Rong looked at each other indifferently, he forced a smile, but the other party was still indifferent, and soon lowered his eyelids again.

After the end, Su Yan did not go back home with his parents in a carriage, but found an excuse by himself, and walked home slowly from Hexi Tower.

The joke with Shen Chengjun, the impatient desire of his parents to inherit the incense, and Li Rong's expression of reluctance... The more Su Yan thought about it, the more irritable he became, he caught a glimpse of a small stone at his feet and kicked it away.

The stone bounced and rolled all the way to the foot of a tree in the distance, Su Yan's eyes followed it, and then saw a patch of apricot-colored clothes.The color was gentle and familiar, Su Yan blinked, and his name popped into his mind before he could reason.

The next moment, the man put his hands behind his back and walked up to him in a mature manner.Without saying hello, he raised his head slightly to look Su Yan up and down, and said tactfully, "Meet someone?"

"Achen." Su Yan cleverly avoided his question, "Why are you here?"

Xiao Qichen took advantage of the situation and walked side by side with him: "Brother Han Guangda returned to Jinling to report on his duties. He seemed to be about to be promoted. Brother Zhongguang and I treated him to a drink at the Hexi Tower. When we came out, we saw the general. I guessed that you might be there, so I went I waited at the door—I haven’t seen you for a long time, and I didn’t like going out very much before.”

His Highness the Sixth Prince has been stuck in the palace since the Dragon Boat Festival, claiming that he suffered from heatstroke and was extremely weak.Xie Hui made fun of him, and Su Yan also heard about it.

So Su Yan responded vaguely, thinking like a drum beating: "I said goodbye to Miss Li just now, he must have seen it too."

Sure enough, Xiao Qichen ignored his change of subject, and said persistently: "Are you here to see the future wife today? It's rare for me to see Mr. Yu Shi smiling happily, so I must be very satisfied with you. Is his lady good-looking?"

Su Yan frowned, and murmured, "You're asking this... I'm getting married..."

Xiao Qichen persisted: "Yeah, so it looks good?"

He spoke with a little anger, and Su Yan knew it as soon as he heard it. He suddenly smelled the smell of alcohol on Xiao Qichen's body along with the night wind.Although he didn't know why Xiao Qichen was drinking and why he was angry, Su Yan was too lazy to argue with him, and said perfunctorily: "It's pretty, Lord Yushi's favorite jewel, what else can I be dissatisfied with?"

After hearing his words, Xiao Qichen wanted to say something more indignantly, his lips trembling in a daze, and finally he simply said: "That's fine!"

After he finished speaking, he turned his head and left. Tianhui jumped out from nowhere and stuck right behind Xiao Qichen, acting as a qualified tail.

Su Yan choked on this breath, and felt uncomfortable all the time for more than half a month.He and Xiao Qichen seemed to be at odds since that quarrel, but Su Yan couldn't figure out what was wrong, he regarded Xiao Qichen as a friend, and occasionally had the illusion that Xiao Qichen wanted more than that.

But apart from his friends, Xiao Qichen didn't seem to have any other places around him.

The author has something to say: read it three times to me about arranged marriage feudal residual poison (lay down and be beaten.