Syndicate Growth Manual

Zhao Chen was led all the way to the front hall, and turned to the ear hall where he was resting.

The decoration of the ear hall is extremely luxurious, Cheng Gong sat on the black lacquered arhat couch inlaid with white jade and played chess alone, and he didn't look back when he heard the announcement from the eunuch guarding the hall gate.

Eunuch Yu bowed slightly and walked to the side of the Luohan couch, and when he stood still, he looked like a sculpture.Zhao Chen moved his fingers slightly, and finally untied Congling, put it on the knife rest at the entrance of the hall, and then took off his shoes and entered the hall.He went straight to the Arhat's couch and made a formal salute.

"The minister sees the king."

Chenggong Zhao Mian snorted slightly, and eunuch Yu signaled Zhao Chen to get up.He stood up and stood where he was very accustomed to, neither embarrassed by the cold reception of the monarch nor shrinking from embarrassment.

"The eunuch Yu knows, how many years have you known Chen?"

Eunuch Yu slightly raised his eyes to look at Zhao Chen, and said, "The general entered the barracks at the age of ten, and won His Majesty's favor, and it should be more than ten years now."

"Wrong," Chenggong Zhao Mian twisted a chess piece and said, "When I came to the workshop when I was more than ten years old, I saw a [-]-year-old boy teaching Lai Han with a wooden sword, and he was very imposing. At that time, I thought, if I cultivate it carefully, I don't know What will happen to this child ten years from now?"

He dropped the chess piece, and once the game was settled, he stretched out his hand to scramble the chess surface, and turned to look at Zhao Chen.

"Chen, tell the widow that the hard work of the widow was in vain?"

Zhao Chen's heart shook, and he knelt down on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Chen will never forget His Majesty's kindness in knowing you."

Cheng Gong couldn't help but smile: "Do you not forget, or dare not forget?"

"Both," Zhao Chen said in a low voice, "the day Chen entered the barracks, His Majesty said to Chen, you hope that Chen will become a sharp sword in your hand, and the point of the sword will be invincible... Chen will never forget it day and night."

Zhao Mian looked at him, his expression gradually softened: "That's right...you haven't forgotten." He got off the couch, stepped barefoot on the cold ground where no lichen had been laid, and walked up to Zhao Chen. The long gold-woven clothes were laid on the ground dragged by.

"Since you haven't forgotten what I said, you shouldn't have forgotten the days when you killed people and licked blood on the battlefield, and you haven't forgotten that when you first showed your talents, how Lutuo's generals wanted to remove the army you led, and how they set up an ambush on the battlefield... Then A small battle that was supposed to be a complete victory, but buried all the loyal soldiers you single-handedly picked!"

Zhao Chen knelt and remained motionless, but his eyes gradually emptied following Cheng Gong's words, as if he had gone back to some unbearable years.

"I remember you were young at that time, they let you go back alone, everyone in Zhao's army threw stones at you, scolded you, said you were a traitor...you came back and cried at my feet , vowed to make them pay with blood..."

"Of course you won't forget."

Cheng Gong's low voice echoed in the hall, extremely calm, but with a trace of mourning.

"You still remember Ling Nu, right? Where's Tie Mu?"

Zhao Chen's eyelashes trembled, and he opened his mouth: "...Chen remembers."

"Yeah." Cheng Gong nodded, "You dare not forget."

He slowly paced around Zhao Chen, looked up at the white, black and gold totem on the ear hall, everything in front of him seemed to suddenly become more colorful, jumping back to more than ten years ago.

"Sister and I were brought up by an actress since we were young. She is just a mere plaything forgotten in the harem of the previous emperor, not even the rank of a concubine. Sister is still valued by the previous emperor, but I am like an outcast... For my basket of charcoal in winter, a bowl of medicine for my illness, and even to curry favor with the old eunuch who guards the gate, even though she was tortured and bruised, she never cried in front of me."

Chenggong suddenly stopped and looked at Zhao Chen: "She also likes you very much. You are much younger than me. She combed your hair after seeing you for the first time, and made you a bowl of water noodles for you to eat."

Zhao Chen listened silently, a smiling and angry woman's face seemed to appear in front of his eyes, with a tear mole at the corner of his eye.She has an outstanding singing voice, like an oriole singing at night, she is gentle and young, and he called her sister at that time.

Although she is called Sister, she takes on the role of mother.

He doesn't get along with the actresses much, but these few memories are mostly good ones.

Cheng Gong's eyes have changed from spring to cold winter again: "Who killed her?"

It's Mrs. Lingguo, Helulian.

"And Tie Mu, he taught you swordsmanship and swordsmanship, he is also a teacher and father." Cheng Gong put his hand on Zhao Chen's shoulder, leaned over to stare at him and asked, "How did Tie Mu die? "

Zhao Chen endured the severe pain in his shoulders and his expression remained unchanged: "Lu Lian was afraid that Master would take Lu Tuo and replace him, and that His Majesty would take away the military power and hand it over to Master, so he sent someone to assassinate him."

Cheng Gong's eyes were shattered: "In my life, there are only these two people who can be called elders. They loved me and protected me, but they all died in the hands of the Lu family! What's more, from the crown prince to the succession, I have suffered so much because of the Lu family. Come here, tell me! Am I at odds with the Lu clan?"

"Can you forget? Do you dare to forget!?"

Zhao Chen clenched his fists and was pressed by him, kneeling on the ground and bending his back.

"I... Chen can't forget, and I dare not forget!" He gritted his teeth.

Cheng Gong let go and looked at him condescendingly: "You are the sword in my hand, where I point, you will go. I ordered you to establish prestige for me in the army, and you have done it. , you did it, you even assassinated the former emperor who was an enemy of the New Deal, you also did it. But Tu Dan designed to get rid of Lutuo, but you didn't say a word, and even said that you were sick that day. I was thinking, why is my sword suddenly disobedient?"

He didn't wait for Zhao Chen to answer, and said to himself: "Lu Tuo is a great hero of the Zhao State. When the Chu State came to invade, he led the troops to turn the tide, and was highly valued by the late king... He even married the widow's sister to him. Let him be my brother-in-law." He sneered, "But I hate him very much, and I am still the crown prince, so he doesn't have to worship me, and even taunts me, which shows my disobedience!"

"Tell me, what makes the so-called God of War you admired, his son, different?"

Zhao Chen lowered his head, a drop of sweat from the tip of his nose fell to the ground.

"The widow said that day, I want you to treat that child kindly, so that he will have no worries in his life." Cheng Gong mocked, "You really treated him kindly, if I hadn't ordered the child to be handed over to you, I would have thought it was your own son. You How can you dote on Lutuo's child to such an extent, eh? Because he doesn't take a concubine, doesn't get close to his first wife, and even use such means to revenge Jingji?"

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Chen took a few steps back on his knees, looked up at Duke Cheng and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, didn't I follow what your Majesty said! There is no Lutuo's son in this world, only my son Zhao Chen, Zhao Yuan !"

Cheng Gong looked back at him indifferently and forcefully: "The widow and you both know what he is, it's nothing more than stealing a clock to cover our ears."

"I don't care if you dote on that child sincerely or pretendingly," he sat on the couch, casually looking at his manicured nails, "but I can't tolerate you getting carried away and forgetting your duty because of that child."

"I haven't forgotten my duty!" Zhao Chen lowered his head, "It's just that Zhao Yuan is the son of the minister. There is no son of Lutuo in this world. Even if he comes back to the minister, I can't return Zhao Yuan. He is my eldest son, isn't it exactly what His Majesty said at the beginning, a life of peace and joy, without worries?"

The eunuch Yu, who was listening from the beginning to the end, was still calm, and his back was sweating layer by layer. The eunuch who guarded the gate of the temple had gone nowhere.If there is no wink in this palace, if you don't know the importance, if you listen to what you should and shouldn't listen to, then that humble life will come to an end.Although he is different from the old friendship, he can't wait to cut off his own ears and poke his own eyes blind.

The air in the hall seemed to be stagnant for a while.

Zhao Chen had come to his senses at this moment, feeling his heart sinking continuously.Why did the monarch reminisce about the past with him... He felt sweat on his forehead, and his eyes were shaking.Could it be that the monarch just dragged him, or had he already sent someone to the Zhongjun Mansion... Anu is outside the palace gate, Anu is not in the mansion... The eunuch Yu knew that Anu was outside the palace gate——

He tried his best to bear the refusal to accept softness, even if the king's eyes were pierced by sharp knives, he would not be able to Ling Chi.He is the only person in this world who can protect Anu. If he is weak, no one will stand in front of Anu.

Cheng Gong's voice sounded very far away.

"The widow treats you differently from others. Although the child makes the widow's throat hurt, I don't want to turn against you. The widow, I will give you a choice—" he said here with a slight sarcasm. , whose mother is a tribute beauty from South Vietnam, who is about the same age as your son," "It's a perfect match. What do you think?"

Zhao Chen understood.This is the choice, Minji is just a female concubine born of a barbarian beauty, and it is rumored that her mother has a dark complexion, which makes Chenggong displeased.If Zhao Yuan took Min Ji, the offspring would no longer be pure, and would not be able to rely on his wife's family, which would also make Zhao's upper class despise and dislike him.There will be nothing to do in the future.

But if he didn't answer, not only would he not be able to get out of the palace gate, Anu would not be able to escape today.

If the monarch tolerates Anu's life, he can live on. If one day he doesn't want to bear it anymore, no one can stop him from killing Anu!

Zhao Chen had never felt like this moment, suddenly felt empty and weak in his hands.

The monarch he devoted all his life to wanted to take away his beloved.

"Sir, thank Your Majesty for Anu." Zhao Chen kowtowed deeply, staring at the ground and replied in a deep voice.

Cheng Gong looked at him and waved his hands wearily: "This matter is settled, and the decree will be issued tomorrow. You can go back."

Zhao Chen got up, saluted again, then turned and left.

Usually when he leaves, he always feels calm and calm in his heart, but this time...he faintly felt a fire burning in his chest, which made his whole body ache.

Zhao Chen walked alone on the vast square in front of the palace, and walked towards the gate of the palace step by step. The sun was already high, dragging his shadow on the ground, stretching it long.

Eunuch Yu hurried over and stopped him.

"My lord, the monarch said that you hadn't used the food for the court, so you must be very hungry, so he gave you delicious food." He said and passed a four-layer palace food box, but his expression was not very good-looking, and he stretched out his hand to lift the same layer, "This The one dish is ordered by the king himself to be tasted by you, so don't forget it."

Zhao Chen looked down, and there was only one dish on the first floor, and the name of the dish was fresh mushroom chicken heart.It was supposed to be grilled mushrooms and chicken hearts, but the plate of chicken hearts in front of me was bloody raw chicken hearts, which were just sliced ​​into thin slices on the crushed ice.

He said slowly: "Please tell me on behalf of the minister, I will definitely enjoy it and taste it. Thank you Your Majesty for the delicious food."