Go to ancient times and engage in construction

In the fifth year of Wu Wangsheng, one morning in early October, Zhao Xuan was lying on a wicker chair in the study, flipping a newspaper in his hand.Hearing the sound at the door, he raised his head and saw Concubine Ji dressed up to meet guests, her expression darkened.

"Your Highness! It's getting late!" Ai Ji saluted Zhao Xuan and reminded her in a low voice.Zhao Xuan is the nominal lord of the Zhao Kingdom, but in Kangcheng, he can only be called by his title. Zhao Xuan's title is a duke. Although he has the same title as Wu Wangsheng, he cannot be called a king.

Zhao Xuan threw the newspaper aside, stood up and walked to the window to stare at the courtyard, saw the two male pets sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard, and was depressed for a while, turned his head and answered Ai Ji in a hateful voice: "Whenever it's not early, you can go as you like, and you don't have to go to a birthday party in such a leisurely way!"

After speaking, he sat back on the recliner and read his newspaper.

Ai Ji stood still speechless, and waited for a while before bowing and exiting.

Zhao Xuan didn't want to go to King Wu's birthday celebration, but Ai Ji had to.Now that the family seems to be under house arrest, there is no benefit in having a tense relationship with Wu Wangting.

Zhao Xuan stayed behind closed doors and refused all invitations from King Wu's court.But in his heart, he hoped that Ai Ji would travel more with the dignitaries of Wu Wangting, so that he could bring back information that was not found in various newspapers.

Ai Ji understood Zhao Xuan's meaning well, and her behavior was the opposite of Zhao Xuan's. She was very active in the upper class society of Cannes, and she would attend whenever she was invited.After one year in Cannes, I have already become acquainted with such famous ladies as Queen Tian, ​​Tuoqing, Ge Daniu, and Huo Sihua.

"Morning, ma'am!" The two men cleaning Zhao Xuan's yard saw Ai Ji come out, and quickly put down their brooms to salute.

"Morning, there is a shortage of manpower in the mansion, which has made the two musicians work hard." Ai Ji greeted the two male pets with a kind face.The male favorite was originally raised by Zhao Xuan in the backyard of the palace as a musician.

Seeing Ai Ji being polite to them, the two men kept saying they didn't dare, and their attitudes were submissive.Ai Ji is now in charge of all affairs in the mansion, and her status is comparable to that of a housewife. A male favorite who depends on others dare not offend Ai Ji.

It turned out that the two male favorites had never been favored by Zhao Xuan in the Zhao Palace, and after arriving in Wu Guokang City, Zhao Xuan didn't even look at them.The two people with awkward identities stayed in the mansion in fear, and Ai Ji ordered them to work, which made them feel more at ease.

Ai Ji saw the two male favorites and herself cautiously, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but slightly twitch.Both Zhao Xuan and Ai Ji came to Wu country with bare hands, without any money or belongings with them.

The residence in Kangcheng was arranged by Zheng Yuming, and the daily expenses were allocated to duke-level treatment and salary by the King Wu's court according to Zhao Xuan's title level.

It's just that Wu Guo doesn't pay much salary according to his title, and only the salary he enjoys when he holds the position of the royal court is rich.

Zhao Xuan refused to become an official, and the salary of the title alone was not enough for the government's expenses.

Fortunately, most of Wu Xian's family are businessmen, and the property in Zhao State was collected by Dr. Zhao You, and the large sum of money stored in the bank of Wu State was preserved.

Wu Xian's family relied on bank deposits to re-operate, and most of the profits were donated to the old owner, so Ai Ji was able to maintain the dignity of the mansion.

The mansion where Zhao Xuan lived was very large and exquisite. It was originally owned by the clan of the King of Wu. The entire mansion was more than enough to accommodate 200 people. Only Zhao Xuan refused to hire Wu people as servants. In the mansion, except for a few people who escaped from the canyon trap with him A confidant is Shang'er Wulang who went to Wu State with Ai Ji.

Chang'er is Aiji's personal maid, Wulang is Zhao Wanggong's yellow clothes, and Chang'er is a couple.Ai Ji's mother and son were able to escape from the Zhao Palace, relying on Wu Lang leading Wu's secret agents to sneak into the Zhao Palace to rescue.

The huge mansion only accommodated less than ten people, and it was too empty, so Zhao Xuan summoned all the people from Zhao Guo's stronghold in Cangcheng to serve as servants in the mansion.Wei Zou and the others were Zhao Guo's secret agents in Kangcheng, and they had already been exposed, so there was no need to hide their identities.

There are only about [-] people connected to Wei Zou in the Kangcheng intelligence base, even if they are all serving as servants, the mansion in the mansion is still tight, so the two male favorites can't just sit around and eat, and Ai Ji arranges them to do chores.

Ai Ji left Chang'er in the inner courtyard to take care of her son Zhao Jing, and took the only maid in the mansion to the palace for a banquet in a four-wheeled carriage driven by Wu Lang.

The birthday celebration banquet is divided into male and female seats. The men hold the banquet in the main hall, and the women's banquet is placed in the inner hall of the harem.Ai Ji rushed to the inner hall, most of the ladies attending the banquet had already arrived.

Queen Tian was holding her son who was more than a week old and began to tease her. Seeing Ai Ji coming in, she hurriedly called her to her side to inquire about the situation.Ai Ji replied carefully one by one.But after a while, Mrs. Taifu and other heavyweight ladies arrived, and Queen Tian ordered Tuo Qing to take care of Ai Ji on her behalf, and she talked to the lady who had just arrived.

"Madam Ai's outfit is so pretty." Tuo Qing held Ai Ji enviously and praised.

Ai Ji is elegantly dressed, her own beauty, coupled with elegance, makes her look even more elegant. This is the ladylike temperament that Tuo Qing especially wants to pursue.

"Mrs. Yu is really beautiful. When Ai Ji saw Madam from a distance, she thought she saw a peony." Ai Ji pursed her lips modestly, and Tuo Qing was wearing a red dress.

When I first met Tuo Qing, I thought that Tuo Qing was very ladylike and elegant, but as soon as I said a few words, the straightforwardness in Tuo Qing's bones came out.Ai Ji likes Tuo Qing's frankness and enthusiasm, so she doesn't have to worry about talking to Tuo Qing.

"Madam Ai is the best at talking with one mouth!" Tuo Qing squeezed Ai Ji's right hand affectionately, Ai Ji's hands were in good condition.

"Why didn't Huo Ji come?" Ai Ji looked around, but didn't find Huo Sihua.

"Sihua went to visit Mrs. Fan early in the morning, and she will be there soon..." Tuo Qing told Ai Ji the reason with a smile.

The Mrs. Fan mentioned by Tuo Qing is Fan Jin's wife Ge Da Niu. Fan Jin once taught Tuo Qing, and Tuo Qing has always respected Fan Jin as a teacher.

"What's wrong with Mrs. Fan?" Ai Ji was startled. In Ai Ji's impression, Ge Da Niu was very honest.

Tuoqing chuckled, "Mrs. Fan is pregnant again this time."

Ge Daniu has given birth to three children, but all three are girls.

"Oh! That's how it is. I hope Mrs. Fan will win a boy this time!" Ai Ji clasped her hands on her chest and blessed.

"So what if a girl is born?" Tuo Qing disagreed.

"It's always better to have a boy, otherwise..." Fan Jin has a high status now and has won the trust of Zheng Chu. Ai Ji thinks that if Ge Da Niu doesn't give birth to a male heir for Fan Jin, Fan Jin will have to take a concubine.

Tuo Qing understood what Ai Ji meant, and retorted with a smile: "Madam Ai, don't worry, Teacher Fan won't take concubines. Teacher Fan and Mrs. Fan's wedding is a Bermuda wedding."

"Mrs. Fan is really blessed." Ai Ji envied her from the bottom of her heart.

"Oh, it's all my father's fault. He insisted that I get married according to the old ceremony, otherwise Yu Huzi and I could also get married according to the Bermuda wedding." Tuo Qing complained about her father Tuo Xiong, completely forgetting that she wanted to become a real man. The upper-class ladies in China also raised their hands to praise the old-fashioned wedding with three books and six rituals.

"Master Yu loves his younger sister very much, and he will not take concubines in the future." Ai Ji not only envied Ge Da Niu, but also envied Tuo Qing, and envied many noble ladies of Wu State, especially Queen Tian.

Tuo Qing was loved by her parents and elder brothers in her natal family, and after marrying Yu Kui, Yu Kui also cherished Tuo Qing like an eyeball.

"Hmph, if Yu Huzi of my family dares to take concubines, Tuo Qing will kill Yu Huzi with one knife!" Tuo Qing uttered cruel words with a fierce look in his eyes.

"..." Ai Ji was dumbfounded, Tuo Qing was spoiled by her father, brother and husband, and spoke without any scruples.

Ai Ji thinks that Tuo Qing is lucky to live in a relaxed atmosphere in the state of Wu. If she married a powerful official from the surrounding vassal states, such an open-mouthed housewife would have been divorced countless times.

Ai Ji returned home after the banquet, and saw a dozen war horses tied to the horse posts tied to the gate of her house from a distance.Several soldiers in full body armor stood guard beside their horses.Ai Ji was familiar with the face of one of the soldiers, it was Boyao's close guard.

In the study, Zhao Xuan was still sitting on the recliner, and Boyao knelt in front of Zhao Xuan with one leg, holding a large ceramic pot with both hands.

"My lord, Bo Yao has brought Mr. Rui back." Inside the ceramic jar were the ashes of Zhao Xuan's eldest son, Zhao Rui.

When Boyao returned to Kangcheng from Yan, he did not go back to his residence, but went directly to the old master to report.

Zhao Xuan stared blankly at the ceramic pot, recalling the last time he and his eldest son met.At that time, when Zhao Xuan asked Zhao Rui about his homework, Zhao Rui's stuttering answer due to nervousness caused both father and son to sweat.

"Trouble Aiqing to bring Nizi's ashes back, Nizi can finally be buried in the ancestral mausoleum..." Zhao Xuan's eyes sparkled.

Zhao Xuan didn't spend much time with his eldest son, and his relationship wasn't too deep.However, Zhao Rui is his blood after all, seeing the ashes of his son who died in a foreign country, Zhao Xuan still feels very heartbroken.

During Zhao's domestic turmoil, his son Zhao Rui was only four years old, and was used by his mother and uncle as a tool for conspiracy.

Zhao Rui was naturally timid, and he was frightened on the way back to Yan with his uncle and mother, and died of illness for half a year.

After Boyao and Wei Qing captured King Yan's palace, Wei Qing searched for money, and Boyao looked everywhere for Yanji's mother and son, hoping to bring Zhao Rui back to Wu.It's a pity that Zhao Rui has died of illness for half a year.Boyao had no choice but to dig up Zhao Rui's grave and cremate the remains into ashes and bring them to Zhao Xuan.

Seeing Zhao Xuan looking sad, Bo Yao neither picked up Zhao Rui's ashes nor asked him to get up, so he stood up by himself and put the ceramic pot on the desk.Bo Yao and Zhao Xuan grew up together, they get along more casually in private and don't pay much attention to etiquette.

The crisp sound of the ceramic jar touching the desk table brought Zhao Xuan back from his grief. He closed his eyes, pointed to the seat beside him and said, "Bo Yao, sit here."

"Thank you, my lord, for giving me the seat!" Bo Yao saluted and thanked him.

"Bo Yao, you commanded [-] soldiers and horses to attack Yan this time. Is it possible for [-] soldiers and horses..." Zhao Xuan leaned towards Boyao and spoke in a low voice.

"Wu's soldiers and horses, the generals only have the authority to lead the battle, and there is no possibility of transfer." Boyao shook his head.

Boyao understood what Zhao Xuan meant. What Zhao Xuan meant was whether Boyao could control the [-] troops.

"Are all the generals of the Wu Kingdom like this?" Zhao Xuan originally thought that only Boyao would be monitored and could not move troops without authorization, but he didn't want all the generals to be like this.

"Not bad!" Bo Yao nodded. "Mid-senior military officers will be transferred at regular intervals, and you are not allowed to cultivate cronies at all. The commander of an army does not rely on his confidantes to command the army, but the command of the military prime minister's office. There are also trainers in the army who specialize in consciousness. Officers obey the military commander in combat, but report directly to the training headquarters if there is any change in the army, and the training headquarters obeys the military chief."

"Let's just say, Chu Chaohui is the real ruler of the Wu Kingdom, it's a pity that Mr. Ming." Zhao Xuan sneered, and the military general's office was firmly in control.

Boyao hesitated for a moment, then shook his head to express his disagreement: "As far as I can see, the person in power in Wu is still Young Master Ming."

Zhao Xuan was surprised, with doubts in his eyes.

"My lord, in the Wu army, the soldiers most support Mr. Ming, not Chu Chaohui."

"Why?" Zhao Xuan asked.

Boyao deliberated for a moment, and then said: "Soldiers in the Wu Kingdom are paid every month, and all the soldiers' salaries are allocated by the finances under the jurisdiction of Mr. Ming. When soldiers retire, the retirement pay and the fertile land allocated are also financed. When Chu Chaohui uses troops, he must first The most important thing is to ask Mr. Ming's General Council to approve the combat budget."

What Boyao meant was that Wu soldiers were loyal to the money bag, and if Zheng Yuming did not approve the army budget, Chu Chaohui would not have the money and materials to support sending troops abroad.

"So, Chu Chaohui is in charge of the army, and Mr. Ming is in charge of money and things. As long as Mr. Ming uses money to manage Chu Chaohui, he can control the army?" Zhao Xuan rubbed his forehead, Wu's political system is too different.

Knowing that Zheng Yuming is the No. [-] figure in the Wu Kingdom, Zhao Xuan was shocked. He didn't speak for a long time, and he sighed after a long time: "I sent Mr. Ming too far!"

The day after Bo Yao brought back Zhao Rui's ashes, Zhao Xuan fell ill, and this time the illness was severe. Upon hearing the news, Zheng Yuming hurriedly brought Jiang Gui to see Zhao Xuan.