The return of the son-in-law

"Why are you here?" Li Shaojun sat on a chair, looked at Guo Zhanan who came in, and asked him with a smile.

Guo Zhan'an bowed, "I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Prince."

"You don't need to be too polite, just sit down. Come and serve tea." Li Shaojun stretched out his right hand, motioning for Guo Zhanan to sit on his right, and then said, "I haven't seen you for a while, and I happen to have some Lu'an melon slices here. You try it."

"Thank you, Your Highness." After sitting down, Guo Zhan'an cupped his hands and said, "It is really a merciless invitation to come here today."

Li Shaojun became interested: "Oh? You also have a day to ask me? Tell me about it."

Guo Zhan'an made a long story short: "My stepmother wants to talk about a marriage for me. I think I am supercilious, and I really don't want to accept it. It's just that my stepmother has already persuaded my father. If I want to change my father's mind, I can only ask His Highness to help me." I'll check Xia Zhiyuan's relationship with the Liu family."

"Why, your stepmother told you that Xia Zhiyuan's daughter is Xia Zhiyuan's daughter?" Li Shaojun raised his eyebrows and said, "I heard that Xia Zhiyuan only has one daughter, and she is very fond of her. But this Miss Xia is very beautiful among the children of many aristocratic families. Famous, Guo Qing, you have to be careful."

Guo Zhanan was furious when he heard the words, but he still asked calmly, "Your Highness, may I ask where you heard these rumors from?"

"Although I have become the crown prince during this period, I can't do it well in the court. In order to reassure my wise and mighty father, I deliberately avoided those senior officials of the second and third ranks, and got acquainted with some of the seventh and eighth ranks. Xia Zhiyuan’s family’s daughter’s reputation, I just overheard them talking about it.” Li Shaojun saw Guo Zhanan’s eyes full of uncontrollable anger, and said, “Fortunately, you are cautious and come to ask me if you know, otherwise you haven’t married yet. The daughter-in-law's head is covered with green clouds."

"Ridiculous!" Guo Zhanan didn't care about losing his composure, and slapped the table next to him fiercely, "Does Liu Pianpian really think I'm easy to bully?"

No matter how open-minded Guo Zhanan is, he can't tolerate such a thing.Moreover, what kind of friendship did Li Shaojun have with him, how could he use this kind of thing to deceive him?

Seeing Guo Zhanan's reaction, Li Shaojun knew that he was making a big joke, and said seriously: "Don't worry, this is just one-sidedness of those people. What is wrong with this Miss Xia, I need to investigate further."

Guo Zhanan said disdainfully: "If she keeps her own place, why do those people talk about her alone? This person was named by Liu Pianpian to tell me, and I absolutely don't want it. Your Highness, please investigate Xia Zhiyuan carefully for me, and I'm fine too. able to refuse the marriage."

There is no reason for Li Shaojun not to agree: "Don't worry, if your father insists on this, I will ask Father to choose a good marriage for you, how about it?"

Guo Zhanan hurriedly waved his hands and said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be like this. As long as I reject this woman, I am already satisfied. How dare I ask the emperor to marry me?"

That's all Li Shaojun said. Seeing Guo Zhan'an like this, he didn't continue talking. He changed the topic and talked about the business: "Half a year ago, you reminded me in Xuzhou that it is better to act first. In the past six months, I finally figured out some clues."

Guo Zhanan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Your Highness has already made a decision?"

Li Shaojun smiled triumphantly: "I am the crown prince now, as long as I don't get caught wrong, the throne will be mine sooner or later. It's not me who is anxious now, but another one. You say, 'First strike is the best'" Five words, should I tell him more?"

Guo Zhanan asked again: "How does Your Highness plan to inform that person?"

Li Shaojun spread his hands: "Back then when I had just completed the construction, those new internal prisons not only had my father's eyeliner, but also the fourth child. Tell me, will there be anyone on his side?"

Guo Zhan'an said cautiously: "This is a big matter. Once the fourth prince has such thoughts, the situation will probably get out of hand. May I ask if your Highness is ready?"

Li Shaojun summoned Ah Xin who was standing beside him, and said, "Bring over the things Mr. Wang sent a few days ago."

Ah Xin led the order, and after a while brought something wrapped in black silk.

"Open it."

Ah Xin opened it as she said, and there was a small black box inside.Ah Xin glanced at Li Shaojun first, and seeing Li Shaojun nodding, he opened the box carefully.

Guo Zhanan leaned over and took a look, only to see that there was a kind of gray powder inside, which reflected a dark purple light in the sunlight.Guo Zhan'an had never seen this kind of weird powder before. Seeing that Ah Xin was so cautious, he knew that this powder must be something overbearing.

Li Shaojun asked Ah Xin to cover the box again, and then he said: "This is the Ningshen Incense I sent people to the Great Moon Kingdom in the Western Regions to get back. It is the kind used by the sacrifices of the Great Moon Kingdom. Because it was stolen, so only this Point. I have had people test it, this Ningshen incense is even more domineering than a god, if it is used for a long time, people will not only have delusions, but also the internal organs will gradually fail, and finally the seven orifices will flow, sweating under the armpit, incontinence, I don’t know Is it starving to death, or is it stinking to death? The Great Moon Kingdom was influenced by Buddhism more than 50 years ago, and thought that those high priests died of the five declines of heaven and man. The sacrifice was partly out of helplessness and partly out of vanity, so they continued to use this incense."

Guo Zhan'an felt his scalp tingling when he heard this: "I remember that this Ningshen incense is a tribute from the Great Moon Kingdom. If the emperor knows about it, a war with the Great Moon Kingdom will be inevitable."

"He won't know." Li Shaojun smiled slightly, "The fourth child won't say it, and I won't say it either. The Da Yue Kingdom dared to send this thing, presumably because no one in the Central Plains would be able to see through it. There are quite a few things, two of which are special products of the Great Moon Kingdom. If Lord Wang hadn't been cautious and lured a person from the Great Moon Kingdom with a lot of money, he would never have known that the Ningshen Incense had this effect. The Emperor Father loves the Ningshen Incense so much, Already dependent and addicted, as a son, how can I let my father know about this?"

Guo Zhanan sighed in his heart, and said: "Then His Royal Highness must be ready."

"Naturally," Li Shaojun nodded and said, "The fourth brother made it clear that he wanted to use Ningshenxiang to control Father. Now that Father is inseparable from Ningshenxiang, it is time for him to do it. Although Liu Yuanheng has retired , but Yu Wei still exists in the capital, even if it is the imperial army, after three purges, there is no guarantee that all Liu Yuanheng's people will be expelled. Fortunately, my father recalled General Shao back to the capital, made him a feudal lord, and ordered him to live in the capital for a long time, which was a great favor to me. With General Shao around, the imperial guards in the capital were stationed hundreds of miles away from the capital. Whether it's the army, even if they don't help me, they will definitely not cover up the fourth child."

Guo Zhan'an's heart tightened, and he had already guessed Li Shaojun's plan: "Your Highness, what does your Highness mean, that when the Fourth Prince takes action, let the Imperial Army and the soldiers stationed there come to the side of the 'Qing Emperor'?"

Li Shaojun praised and said: "Guo Qing is worthy of being Guo Qing, she really predicts things like a god."

Guo Zhan'an thought carefully for a while, and then advised: "Although your Highness's move seems to be dissociated, the links are interlocking. If there is a mistake in one link, I am afraid that the loss will be a tiny bit, and the difference will be a thousand miles."

"Oh?" Li Shaojun asked, "What opinion does Guo Qing have?"

Guo Zhanan said cautiously: "It's just a foolish opinion. I personally think that Concubine Liu is still in charge of the power in the palace, but the Empress Dowager's body is getting worse day by day. If Concubine Liu and others control the emperor first, When the time comes to issue an order in the name of the emperor, those forbidden soldiers may believe it to be true, which is not good for His Royal Highness. The forbidden army guards the royal family. Once the emperor encounters an accident, they would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go. Even if old Shao It’s hard to say if the general is going out to protect the horse.”

After hearing this, Li Shaojun nodded thoughtfully and said: "What you said is indeed reasonable. It's just that after Concubine Yu gave birth to the princess, she kept holding her breath, and instead annoyed her father, who disliked her father. A concubine has power but no favor, low-ranking promises often have favor but no power, and there is no one who can compete with Concubine Liu."

Guo Zhanan continued: "Your Highness, you don't have to worry too much. The Queen Mother has been in the harem for many years. Even if she is in poor health, there are people around her. Your Highness just needs to plan well, and don't let Concubine Liu and others block the sky with one hand in the harem, so that His Highness cannot enter the palace in the future, and the Queen Mother It’s okay to be alone.”

Li Shaojun sighed and said: "Fortunately, you are still here, otherwise such an omission might make me completely defeated."

Guo Zhan'an got up and bowed long: "Since Your Highness has made a decision, there is no need to hesitate any longer."

"I understand. There is no need to let others know what happened today. As for Xia Zhiyuan's matter, I will send someone to investigate as soon as possible, and I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Not to mention how the people appointed by Li Shaojun investigated Xia Zhiyuan. On Guo's side, Liu Pianpian was anxious when she saw that Guo Zhan'an hadn't responded for a long time. The rumor of a daughter's heart secretly promising".

The rumors spread more and more widely, and through the mouths of those who deliver food and meat, there are even more versions.

For a while, one of the most frequently discussed things in the capital was when the eldest son of the Guo family would marry the daughter of the Xia family.

Because of Guo Zhanan's order, no one dared to talk about this matter with Huo Yu.But the paper can't contain the fire after all, and Huo Yu can't stay in the yard forever - Guo Zhan'an worried that Huo Yu's knowledge would be shortened if he read in the yard all day long, so he asked Huo Yu to go to the study outside every few days to share with the study. Discuss knowledge with others.

After coming down several times, Huo Yu also made some friends. On this day, everyone made an appointment to have a small gathering in Juxianlou, and Huo Yu went to the appointment with Fuquan.

Just now entering the Juxian Building, I heard the storytelling in the lobby how the young master of the Guo family saved the daughter of the Xia family in a snowy day, and how the two spent a night together tenderly, promising each other a lifetime.

This storytelling is very bold. Although the real names of Guo Zhanan and Xia Keqing were not mentioned, the identities of the young master of the Guo family and the daughter of the Xia family have been heard so much in the past few days. How can they be unclear?

Huo Yu didn't realize that something was wrong at first, but when he went upstairs, he heard the storytelling writer say that the young master of the Guo family was once a judge in a certain state, a young talent, and realized that he was talking about his brother.

Seeing that Huo Yu turned around to go downstairs, Fu Quan knew it was not good, and quickly stopped him, "Second Young Master, why are you going down? Several young masters are waiting up there."

"Go away!" Huo Yu said angrily, "Didn't you hear what that man said? A book reviewer, who actually slandered my brother behind his back, I must teach him a lesson!"

Fuquan hurriedly said: "If the second young master wants to teach me a lesson here, wouldn't he want to make a big fuss? What good will it do to the young master's reputation? Pingshu has the most poisonous mouth in the world, and he likes many people and likes to listen to it. What they say, believe what they say. If he holds a grudge and makes the young master's words even worse, isn't the second young master self-defeating, and the gain outweighs the loss?"

Huo Yu finally calmed down, stared at Fuquan for a long time, and suddenly asked, "You don't know anything, do you?"

Fuquan hurriedly said with a smile: "What is the second young master talking about? I have been serving the second young master in the yard all day, how can I know these things?"

"Oh? Then tell me, what am I asking you?"

Huo Yu has been with Guo Zhan for a long time, and when he doesn't smile, he is a bit more majestic. Fuquan was stared at by him, cold sweat broke out behind his back, and he begged for mercy: "Second Young Master, I didn't want to hide it from you, it is really Young Master who won't let us Let me tell you."

Huo Yu was a little surprised: "Why didn't brother tell me?"

Fuquan said badly, and quickly explained for Guo Zhanan: "Don't worry, the second young master, the young master is not trying to hide the music from you and others, and really doesn't want to disturb your study."

Huo Yu listened, but instead smiled: "What are you talking about? Of course, I trust my brother. But, my brother looks down on me too much. If he puts his mind on him, won't I be allowed to do something?"

Fuquan looked at Huo Yu, feeling agitated in his heart, and asked, "What is Second Young Master planning to do?"

However, Huo Yu held back at this moment and said, "I'll talk about it later."

Perhaps it was because the story of the gifted man and the beautiful woman had such a wide audience that it was even mentioned during the meeting.But everyone here knew Huo Yu's identity, and seeing his lack of interest, they probably guessed that there was something else hidden in it.

Huo Yuqiang gathered energy with many friends for more than an hour, and then resigned.A scholar who had the best relationship with Huo Yu followed him out, quietly grabbed Huo Yu and said, "Young Master Huo, what this outsider said may not be true, you are Young Master Guo's adopted brother, you should know it best. "

Huo Yu smiled wryly: "Thank you, I still have something to do at home, so I'll take my leave first."

The scholar nodded, seeing that Huo Yu's expression was not good, but he didn't know how to persuade him, so he had to go back to the private room.

Besides, Huo Yu, he went downstairs and passed the lobby, he didn't leave in a hurry, but walked towards the storyteller who was drinking tea while taking a break.

"Yo, this young master," the storyteller, seeing Huo Yu's aura, thought he was also here to invite him to the mansion to tell stories, and greeted him with a smile, "I don't know what you can do."

Huo Yu asked coldly, "Where did you hear what you said today?"

The storyteller was taken aback for a moment, and then asked with a smile: "My lord thinks that what I say is all false? Others may be false, but I am not."

Afterwards, he stretched his head towards Huo Yu, and said in a low voice, "I have connections in the Xia residence. This was told to me by a decent steward of the Xia family. I heard that this Miss Xia family is firmly seated in the Guo family." As for the seat of the young mistress, we are now waiting for the Guo family to propose marriage."

"It's ridiculous!" Huo Yu scolded, "What are you, and what are the stewards? The steward actually talks about the master's affairs behind his back, and even tells you with embellishments, so that you can go out and talk about it. This kind of gossip behind the master's back Yes, you should beat him twenty times hard to make him remember what to say and what not to say!"

The storyteller was startled at first, then quickly put on a serious face, and said a lesson: "What kind of thing are you! Then it's your turn to take care of the affairs of the young master of the Guo family and Miss Xia's family? Oh, let me tell you." The storyteller deliberately elongated his voice, looked Huo Yu up and down with his eyes, and said with an evil smile, "Could it be that you admire Miss Xia's family? With you like this, can you compare with the young master of the Guo family? I advise you to hurry up." Die with this heart."

Huo Yu was furious: "I also want to persuade you, if you dare to speak nonsense about the young master of the Guo family again, I will invite Mrs. Jing Zhaoyin to make a public judgment to see if you are wrong in spreading rumors here. , or I was wrong."

"You, what are you!" The storyteller panicked. After all, he usually relied on talking about the affairs of the previous dynasty to earn some money and money. If this court is not involved, no one will take care of him.

And this time the story of Guo Zhan'an and Xia Keqing was hyped up. Firstly, it was the most talked-about matter among many people in the capital. Second, it was because the Xia family had paid and wanted to use his mouth to force the Guo family to propose marriage.

At first the storyteller was unwilling, but because the Xia family paid a lot of money, he thought about talking about one or two episodes first, and if the response was good and no one came forward, he would add more slowly.

Seeing Huo Yu's serious face, he didn't seem to be lying, so he felt guilty and flattered him: "Young master, you really misunderstood, I didn't name you, I'm not talking about the two you mentioned Woolen cloth."

Huo Yu sneered, and said, "I know whether it's you or not. If I hear you say the word Mr. Guo Family again, you can go and explain it to Mr. Jing Zhaoyin."

The storyteller saw that Huo Yu was dressed luxuriously, and the small jade flute hanging around his waist was priceless, and when he mentioned Jing Zhaoyin, he was neither humble nor overbearing, either rich or expensive, so he nodded quickly: "Yes, yes."

There are dragons and crouching tigers hidden in the capital, maybe an ordinary person passing by is related to the high officials of the dynasty.He is an ordinary storyteller, but he can't afford to offend those nobles, so he's better to deal with it first, and then decide whether to continue collecting money from the Xia family in the future depending on the situation.

Huo Yu followed Guo Zhan'an up and down, how could he not know the true colors of these three religions and nine streams, seeing that the storyteller agreed so happily, he didn't let go of his guard, but asked Fuquan to send people to several big restaurants to inquire after returning home. See how many storytellers are talking about this matter, and where did they get the news.

When Guo Zhanan returned home, Fuquan came over to apologize with a bitter face: "Young master, I failed to accomplish anything. Today, the second young master went out to have a gathering with friends and heard about Miss Xia's affairs."

Guo Zhanan's heart immediately hung up: "What did Yu'er say? Did you believe it?"

Fuquan shook his head and said: "Second Young Master had a quarrel with the storyteller in the restaurant at that time. After returning home, he has been sullen and unhappy. I asked Second Young Master, and Second Young Master said nothing."

Guo Zhanan scolded: "How do you do things? Didn't you say not to let anyone or anything hinder Yu'er from studying? Since you know that the rumors are so fierce outside, and you have no ability to prevent Yu'er from hearing these things, why? Do you think there is a way to keep Yu'er out of the house?"

Fuquan simply knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "It's my fault, it's my fault, please punish me, young master."

"Get up! Where is Yu'er now?"

Fuquan bumped his head to the ground and replied: "Second young master just heard that the young master is back, so he went back to his room."

After hearing this, Guo Zhan'an ignored Fuquan who was kneeling on the ground, put his hands behind his back, and hurried towards Huo Yu's room.

Guo Zhan'an almost ran all the way to the front of his and Huo Yu's house, and waved his hands to signal the two maids in front of the house to keep quiet. He just wanted to open the door, but stopped when he touched the door.

After growing up so big, except when Di Wanyan passed away, this was the first time that Guo Zhan'an experienced the torment of restlessness and anxiety.No matter how bad the outside world says about him, he is not afraid, but he is afraid that Huo Yu will believe others and create a gap between him and him.He hardly dared to think about what life would be like without Huo Yu.

Guo Zhanan took a deep breath, and finally pushed the door open.

"Yu'er, you..." Guo Zhan'an just said a few words, but was speechless by the scene in front of him.

Huo Yu only wore a middle coat, and held all his long hair in his left hand, while his right hand held an azure hair band, as if to tie it up.

Apart from the safety buckle hanging around his neck, without any accessories around his body, Huo Yu at this moment is more attractive than at any other time.

"Brother came so soon?" Huo Yu turned his head and saw Guo Zhan'an, showing his white teeth, "Just now Jia Huan said he wanted to find you, didn't brother meet?"

"No." Guo Zhan'an's eyes were glued to Huo Yu's body, and he couldn't move them away at all. "Where are the others? Why don't you ask the maid to comb your hair?"

"The hair is a little loose, so it's convenient to do it yourself."

Guo Zhan'an took the hairband from Huo Yu's hand, then walked behind Huo Yu, looked at Huo Yu in the mirror, and said, "I'll comb your hair for you."

Huo Yu's ears warmed up, and he lowered his head with a smile.

While combing Huo Yu's long hair carefully, Guo Zhan'an said, "Yu'er, the rumors outside are not to be believed."

"I know," Huo Yu answered bluntly, much beyond Guo Zhan'an's expectations, "I know what kind of person my brother is. I'm just angry that they are plotting against you like this. Don't worry, brother, I naturally believe it." your."

Huo Yu's words were enough to wipe away Guo Zhanan's resentment, uselessness and anger these days.He hugged Huo Yu into his arms from behind, leaned his head on Huo Yu's shoulder, and murmured: "Yu'er, I am lucky to have you."