Chapter 10 fourth quarter

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the deep purple glazed tiles of the main hall of Zihuan Palace.The sunset is all over the sky, like a fire.The palace people put agarwood into the copper-cast tortoise and crane to light it, and the misty cigarettes spewed out from the tortoise and crane's mouth, and gradually dispersed. Lu Guichen folded his hands in his big sleeves, sat in a straight posture, and sat quietly under the steps, watching the king rubbing ink at the table, feeling a little uneasy in his heart.Baili Jinghong, the lord of the Lower Tang Dynasty, sent Chi Haonian, the deputy commander of Jinwu, to summon him to the palace from outside. This is a rare thing. He is a barbarian hostage, and he can only be regarded as a guest in Nanhuai City. Baili Jinghong He didn't have time to see him, only during the new year, when he went to the palace to receive a reward with Princess Chuwei Xiaozhou, who was also a proton, and Bai Liyu, the young master of Tang Dynasty, then he had to see the majesty's face.But he came here in a hurry, as if nothing happened, the eunuchs asked him to sit down on the steps, Baili Jinghong had been grinding ink there.

Zihuan Palace is famous for its luxury, but this study room is simple and simple. The walls are covered with white paper, and there are ink pen brushstrokes written by the previous King Wenrui, and several sea-blue silk screens are erected.There was only one inner eunuch serving, holding down a roll of white tissue paper spread out on the desk. Baili Jinghong put down the ink, picked up the Zihao, the pen froze on the paper, but did not send out a word.In a short time, he opened and closed left and right, his brushstrokes were sharp and vigorous, and he had the courage of a warrior wielding a sword.Just as Lu Guichen got curious, he craned his neck to look. Baili Jinghong had already thrown the brush into the green glaze brush washer, and let out a long breath.The inner eunuch carefully picked up the scroll, walked down and presented it in front of Lu Guichen.

There are four skinny and flamboyant big characters on the paper: "Following Parents". Lu Guichen had heard that Baili Jinghong was proficient in calligraphy and could be regarded as one of the famous masters in the Eastern Continent, but granting calligraphy is rare, and it is difficult for non-confidant ministers to obtain it, so there is a picture hanging in Xiyan Hall.He didn't know why he was honored so much, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed, he stood up hastily, bowed and bowed, and took it respectfully.As soon as he touched it, the inner eunuch immediately took it back, held it high above his head, and went down to frame it.Only Baili Jinghong and Lu Guichen were left in the study.

Baili Jinghong cleared his throat: "Recently, I have been busy with government affairs, and I have not had time to spend on the daily life of the prince. It is my negligence. However, Master Lu and General Xi both said that the prince's civil and military skills are very advanced, unlike mine. A child who is useless. Last year, King Guanqin of Shangyang, his son made military exploits with General Xi. I am very pleased. When the majesty handed him over to me, he wrote a letter asking me to let him learn Donglu culture. Your entrustment. This letter is given to the son, and I hope the son will go further."

"Thank you, Lord, for your words." Lu Guichen once again thanked him with a big salute. "There is no need to be so polite, let's sit and talk." Baili Jinghong beckoned him to sit down, "The prince lives in the East Palace, and the place is a bit remote. Is there any inconvenience in terms of board and lodging?" "Everything is fine. Everyone in the East Palace takes good care of me. Captain Fang Shan of the Forbidden Army also visits me on the first day of every ten days." "The food in Donglu is different from that in Hokuriku. Maybe you're not used to it? I have ordered the chef to buy some sheep, and I have a cook who is good at making lamb chops and yokan. Arrange him to cook for the crown prince."

"The lord's grace... Guichen thanks you." Lu Guichen had just sat down on the stool, but he had to stand up again. "Don't do this," Baili Jinghong smiled lightly, "It's agreed that we will sit and talk." Lu Guichen sat back again.The uneasiness in his heart became more and more intense, and he had a premonition that something was about to happen.Baili Jinghong's gentle tone and meticulous care were unusual.Both of them fell silent, Baili Jinghong paced around the desk with his hands behind his back, the only sound of his "chacha" footsteps in the study.

He stopped suddenly, turned around and smiled at Lu Guichen: "Does your son have any research on calligraphy?" "Master Lu said that Guichen's foundation is weak, and he still practiced writing, and he dared not talk about calligraphy." Lu Guichen replied with the humility that a young man should be in the East. "Well, calligraphy is also a science, and it can't be understood overnight." Baili Jinghong nodded, "I just used Zhanshi style. Today's three fonts, Luo Huiyang's 'Huiyang style', royal calligraphy Teacher Chen Li's "Poyun style" and Xie Zhanshi's "Zhanshi style". The Huiyang style is graceful and elegant, and the Poyun style is free and uninhibited. Xie Zhanshi is a military officer with a sword in his left hand and a pen in his right. The stone-cutting style is like a knife The huge rock is split, the broken stones are scattered, and the pen is the heroic style of the hero at the sunset on the battlefield. Emperor Xi is also a calligraphy genius. He praised Xie Zhanshi during his lifetime, saying that he is "the most courageous man". The son of the world must learn from his integrity."

"Guichen remembers." "And I wrote the words 'rewarding festivals and filial piety', does your son know my intentions?" Baili Jinghong's voice changed suddenly. "Looking at the Lord's instruction." Baili Jinghong smiled: "Donglu is a foreign land after all to the son, and sooner or later the son will go back to Beilu. Living in a foreign land, even in the palace, has some unsatisfactory places, but this is a good opportunity to sharpen your integrity. And filial piety is the most crucial part of human relations, the majesty is very loving to the son, I heard that there was a "king of longevity" expectation, the son remembers the majesty's expectation, everything that is not going well now is a trivial matter."

"Gui Chen understands." "How old is the prince?" "Seventeen." "Seventeen?" Baili Jinghong nodded slightly, "In our Donglu, it's the age of marriage. When the eldest son is in Beilu, is there any marriage?" "Guichen was only nine years old when he traveled south, and the custom in Hokuriku is that a boy can be betrothed at the age of twelve, so there is no marriage proposal." "Really?" Baili Jinghong chuckled, "Your Majesty is already a hero straddling a horse, and you are an adult. Our ladies in the Tang Dynasty were praised by all the countries in the Eastern Continent as graceful and amiable. Your Majesty came to Nanhuai City, do you have friends? Is there anyone you like?"

Lu Guichen's heart skipped a few times: "Guichen is still young, so I dare not say I like him." His eyes wandered a little, he didn't dare to look at Baili Jinghong, so he couldn't help turning his head to look at the clouds outside the window. Baili Jinghong smiled: "It is human nature to know love when you are old. I heard that there is a saying in Beilu marriage that there is a "wolf club". Roast yellow sheep, recruit brave young men from all over the world, and after getting drunk, the master releases a ferocious wolf. Whoever can ride a horse and snatch the wolf back is the prairie boy praised by everyone, and he can win the beauty, right? "

"Yes! Unexpectedly, all these lords know about it." Lu Guichen was a little surprised. Diaolanghui is a way for rich families on the grassland to choose their son-in-law, hoping to choose the strongest and bravest man among the young people around them, so as to continue the blood of the family.His father, Lu Song, married Chao's daughter, Ayihan, at the Wolf Diao meeting.However, the nobles of Qingyang have not chased aquatic plants and herded sheep for several generations. It is very rare to choose a son-in-law by "holding wolves", and Lu Guichen has only heard of it.Baili Jinghong, a Duke of the Eastern Land, behaved with the arrogance of the Eastern Land nobles, and his attitude towards the barbarians was somewhat indifferent in his tone, but he suddenly revealed that he knew the customs of the grassland like the back of his hand, and Lu Guichen had to be surprised. Baili Jinghong smiled and waved his hands: "It's nothing. I know some people say that I'm just a prince of poetry and literature. But they don't know how much pains I have put into military and political affairs. Back then, I wanted to become brothers with the Qingyang Department Zhibang, in fact, the old courtiers were very critical. I refuted them with my own strength in the court and insisted on sending General Tuoba to the north. Before that, I also spent three months on the barbarian local characters blood!" "The lord is wise!" Baili Jinghong nodded: "The alliance is a major event between the two countries, just like a marriage. Once you go out, you can't look back. Our covenant with Qingyang is to last forever, so I have recently reflected on myself. The son is far away from home. I must feel very lonely. I am busy with government affairs, so I don’t care much. Since the son is not young and wants to make a covenant for a lifetime, it is better to make a marriage for the first time. .” "Marriage for a lifetime first", Lu Guichen was shocked when he heard these words, he felt like thunder in his ears.He didn't know how to put his hands down. He stretched out his hands and didn't know whether he was waving them to refuse, or just shaking them meaninglessly.There are some things he doesn't want to think about.For example, he really wants to go back to Hokuriku, where there are vast grasslands, eagles hitting the sky, and delicious otter meat, but there are no cornices there, so there will be no Yuran sitting on a high place and singing carelessly.So he didn't want to think that one day he would go back to the grassland.His two companions, Tie Yan and Tie Ye, would occasionally talk about the age when the eldest son was about to get married, and they argued to themselves that if they were in Beilu, the eldest son would have been married long ago, and maybe even the child would have been born, but as they The hostages are trapped in Nanhuai City.They began to complain after discussing, but they never noticed that Lu Guichen was always expressionless at this time, staring blankly at something lost in thought.Lu Guichen was imagining a picture. He was sitting in the golden tent, and a girl was sitting in front of him. He walked out of the golden tent with this person's hand, and people surrounded them shouting Maharaja and Yan.At this moment he turned to look at his wife, were her eyes dark red? If not, how strange it is! Marriage for a lifetime?It's just looking at other people's eyes all my life and getting old slowly. "My lord... Guichen has no plans to get married yet!" Lu Guichen stood up suddenly.He could hear Baili Jinghong's meaning, and there was a burning urgency in his heart, and he couldn't care less about euphemism. Baili Jinghong didn't expect such a violent reaction from him, so he couldn't help but frowned, showing a very displeased expression: "What is the meaning of your son saying that?" "Guichen..." Lu Guichen opened his mouth in a daze.What can he say?He himself does not know. "Is the prince not looking down on the appearance of Tang women? The prince thinks that the status of a famous lady in Donglu is not enough to climb high? Or does the prince think that my lord's intentions are dishonest?" Baili Jinghong pressed forward step by step. "Guichen...don't dare." Lu Guichen lowered his head. Baili Jinghong was proud of his majesty and subdued this little barbarian who suddenly became obstinate, so his expression softened a little: "I know, since the son is the young master of Qingyang, he should also have a concubine of the barbarian clan. But Xiatang and Qingyang are allied. Need to distinguish bloodlines again? If we talk about bloodlines, when Fengyan Iron Brigade marched north, Princess Lu Shun of your department also followed Emperor Fengyan back to Tianqi City. If Emperor Fengyan had not passed away early, Lu Shun would not have given birth to a prince Well, maybe the emperors of our Eastern Continent also have barbarian blood." Lu Guichen looked at his feet and felt that Baili Jinghong's voice was erratic, as if it was close to his ears, but also as if it was far away in the sky.In fact, he didn't listen to those words. He just felt that his mind was blank. There was a eaves in the blank, and a shadow with dangling legs was sitting in the huge sunset. "It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. It's common sense for the son to marry a newcomer in the Northland when he returns to the Northland in the future," Baili Jinghong said leisurely, but he didn't leave any room for it. If you have a plan, you don't have to refuse!" Lu Guichen didn't answer.For a moment he was dumbfounded, and suddenly he realized that he had grown up, was seventeen years old, and was no longer a child.Some things will be lost when you grow up, and you can never get them back in your life. "This incident happened suddenly, and I understand that you don't have a place in your heart right now. But a man's big wedding is a happy event after all. I will choose a wife for you. She must be the first-class lady of the Tang Dynasty and even the entire Eastern Continent Emperor. She is talented. It will not disappoint the prince. When the prince sees it with his own eyes, he will definitely like it." "Guichen..." Lu Guichen raised his head, his eyes were empty. "Needless to say," Baili Jinghong waved his hand violently, "This step is not only for the son, but also for the achievement of the blood relationship between our two countries. In the future, the son will not only be the lord of Qingyang, but also my son-in-law in the Tang Dynasty. Unlimited. The weight of gains and losses, the prince himself decides. Send the prince down to rest!" "My son, please!" The eunuch outside the study hurried into the study and stood in front of Lu Guichen, blocking his view of Baili Jinghong. Baili Jinghong turned around with his hands behind his back, facing the tapestry screen, and stopped talking. Lu Guichen stared at the eunuch's fat white face with a smirk for a long time, then got up silently, and bowed to the king's back.The inner eunuch lifted a lantern and led him out through the side door with small steps.Baili Jinghong walked slowly to the side door, staring coldly at Lu Guichen's retreating back.The walkway in the palace was very wide. This young man walked alone, his toga was blown up by the wind, and his back looked a little thin. Baili Jinghong's heart skipped a beat. He sighed, and said loudly to Lu Guichen's back: "It's no longer necessary to hide the matter from the son. According to our information, the father of the son, His Royal Highness Lu Song, passed away last winter, and he just concealed it." The news has not yet been released." At this moment, a cry of geese crossed over the palace, and Lu Guichen turned around abruptly. He felt that he had heard that sentence in a dream. He still remembered that when he took a nap in the afternoon a few days ago, he vaguely felt that there was a person sitting by the bed. He couldn't see the person's face clearly, but he knew it was him. father.He suddenly felt that he was back when he was very small, his father was too tall compared to him, and he had to work hard to reach his hand, the warm hand of his father.Then they walked through the streets of Nanhuai, walking in a bright light, everything around them was blurred by the light, and the only thing they could see clearly was their father's hand. Return of the soul... He thought of Master Lu who had taught him this word.When that person's soul returns, he has actually left forever. He felt a strong sweet smell welling up from his heart, and sprayed it out from his nostrils and mouth, his eyes went dark, and he lost consciousness. The inner eunuchs hurried away with Lu Guichen who was unconscious.Baili Jinghong stayed by the door until their backs disappeared at the end of the walkway before returning to the study.He wasn't nervous about Lu Guichen's fainting, and he just watched silently from the beginning to the end, but he was irritated. The news of his father's death had such a big impact on this young man, which made him feel that this The young man actually has a lot of things on his mind, and it will take a lot of trouble to negotiate terms in the future. The person behind the tapestry screen has already come out, quietly waiting at the bottom of the steps, his hazel face is full of marks like a knife and axe, and a four-foot-long Pixiu knife is hanging on his waist.That was Tuoba Shanyue, commander-in-chief of the Three Armies of the Lower Tang Dynasty. "Why did the lord suddenly decide to tell the son this news?" Baili Jinghong waved his hand: "I can't wait. I think he is very hesitant about the marriage. I want to force him. If he doesn't marry Xia Tang, will he still want to find the gate of Nanhuai City? By the way, Lu Song has How sure is the news of death?" "It snowed heavily in Hanzhou last year, and it should have been thawed not long ago. Our people have not brought back the first-hand news from the northern capital. The current news was reported by the insider in Chunguo Palace. Although Liang Qiusong is not a warrior, the spy information has always been It’s done very well. This news should be 80% certain.” Baili Jinghong nodded: "Lu Song died, but there was no public funeral... What's the situation in Beidu now? What can you do to deal with it?" Tuoba Shanyue pondered for a while: "If the guess is correct, the eldest prince Lu Shouyu has already controlled the northern capital, but he dare not make a funeral. Firstly, he failed to convince all the tribes, and secondly, he is still afraid of our country's reaction." "Afraid of our country?" Baili Jinghong raised his eyebrows. "Based on Lu Shouyu's thoughts all the time, he considers himself the heir to the throne of the Great Monarch. Now that he controls the northern capital, he probably has no chance of voluntarily helping the young master Fuchen to ascend the throne. However, he has not won the support of the ministries, so he may not dare to He publicly offended Xia Tang, so he made preparations without mourning. The Northland grasslands are vast, and the herdsmen live in pursuit of water and grass. Lu Shouyu must be passing on the news and convening a new Kulig conference with the intention of establishing his position. Before that, We still have a chance to turn around." "A chance to turn things around?" Baili Jinghong's voice turned cold, "You don't think Lu Shouyu will easily cooperate with us, do you?" "The one who supports Lu Shouyu behind the scenes is undoubtedly Liang Qiusong." Tuoba Shanyue asked back, "Does the lord think that Liang Qiusong spent so much manpower and financial resources on Lu Shouyu that this fruit will fall into our country's pocket? ?” "Chunguo Liang Qiusong has always been a tricky guy," Baili Jinghong nodded slightly, "Tell me about your plan." "Liang Qiusong is a vulture-like figure. He has supported Lu Shouyu for ten years. Ten years is enough to build trust between him and Lu Shouyu. But Lu Shouyu must also weigh the pros and cons. After all, we are nominally allies of the Qingyang Department. He Offending us, there is no benefit at this time. At this time, we must send an envoy as soon as possible to show our support for him as the lord of the grassland and maintain the covenant between us and the Qingyang Department." "We support Lu Shouyu as the majesty?" Baili Jinghong looked directly into Tuoba Shanyue's eyes. "Yes! I think Chun's envoys have already arrived in the northern capital. They will also make an offer to Lu Shouyu. If we don't send an envoy, Lu Shouyu will completely fall to Chun's side. Once we make an offer, it will be difficult for Chun to succeed What the barbarians want is Donglu's iron smelting skills. Lu Shouyu has already mastered the northern capital at this moment. All he needs is an ally in Donglu. It doesn't matter if it is us or Chun. We can tell Lu Shouyu that we promised We will also give Lu Song the conditions. In this way, even if Lu Shouyu may not be willing to give up the deal with Chunguo for us, we can at least continue the current covenant. I suggest sending a powerful envoy to launch from Qingshi Harbor and head north with the wind. It only takes two months to reach the northern capital. According to this estimate, we can have definite news in August." "According to your plan, we will support Lu Shouyu instead, and Lu Guichen will just abandon his son in one step." Baili Jinghong glanced at Tuoba coldly, and looked away, "Tuoba Qing chose this youngest son as the son of the same day." Hostage, are you a little careless?" Tuoba Shanyue knelt down on one knee: "Your servant is guilty!" Baili Jinghong waved his hand to get him up: "You made an unintentional mistake, I don't blame you. But this abandoned child, he walked just right!" "What does the lord mean?" Baili Jinghong smiled coldly: "National affairs are nothing more than a game of chess. Do you remember Tuobaqing? You and I play chess, and you lose nine times out of ten. I once said that Tuobaqing's killing power in the middle game is no less than that of a national player." , Unfortunately, you can't see through the overall situation?" "Tuoba dare not forget the teachings of the lord." "Every step you take, you can't just have a plan. The idlers you lay out are actually for future attacks. When the enemy changes, I also change. Everything is under our control. The third son Lu Yingyang and the fourth son Lu He of the Qingyang Department Like Lu Guichen, he was born of Shuobei's mother. Now Lu Yingyang has been demoted, but he may not be attached to Lu Shouyu in his heart. He still has strength. I don't think Lu Yingyang is a submissive person, so he must want to kill him. Lu Shouyu, hurry up!" Baili Jinghong smiled, turned the subject slightly, and withdrew his cruelty, "However, Lu Yingyang was demoted, and his strength is not enough, so he doesn't have many opportunities. And at this time, suppose we go down to Tang's first class Lu Guichen landed in Nanwang Gorge with his eldest son Lu Guichen. Lu Yingyang must be the first to kiss Lu Guichen's boots and support him as a majesty! Like Lu Yingyang, those who disobey Lu Shouyu on the grassland They will all move closer to us. Why do we want to compete with the Chun Kingdom for the position of this ally? At that time, we will march towards the northern capital and take it down! Hold the barbarian cavalry in our own hands!" Tuoba Shanyue was stunned for a moment: "The lord is wise!" Baili Jinghong accepted this compliment with a smile: "This is a backup plan. The first step is that if Lu Shouyu is willing to obey our orders, we will support him in succeeding the position of Maharaja." "Yes! However, if a backup plan is adopted, I am only worried that Lu Guichen's body may not be able to last for a long time. I have heard reports from doctors that with Donglu's medical skills, there are countless famous doctors in Tang Dynasty, but no one can truly Guess his cause. All the doctors can do is to suppress the disordered blood vessels with medicine stones. Some people say that the result of this disease may be a sudden death. It looks good, maybe it will die all at once." Baili Jinghong smiled and waved his hands: "An abandoned son, if he can be used to this extent, he will be exhausted and let him fend for himself. It doesn't matter if Lu Guichen can't, I want him to give me a Qingyang bloodline." grandson." "Grandson?" Tuoba Shanyue was startled. "I want to marry Ah Ji to the son of Beilu!" Baili Jinghong sneered, with a hint of ferocity in his expression, "Lu Song dares to use his most beloved son to win this game with me, I am not afraid to bet! " In the evening, Tanggu Pavilion. Yu Ran lifted the jug high, and the clear liquor melted into a thin thread and fell into the warm cup.A glass of wine was poured to the rim of the glass, not a single drop, and a line protruded from the rim of the glass. "Okay!" She clenched her fist and jumped happily, "This time it finally succeeded!" She put her face on the table and looked at the line of wine protruding from the mouth of the cup.The wine reflected the sunlight coming in through the window, it was clear and moving, and there were rings of light and shadows on the thin white porcelain cup. "Asule, have you been to the Confucian Temple recently? There is a wine merchant there. Every time he sells wine, he doesn't use a measuring device. He just pours it like this. It's accurate and just right. Asule, come and try it?" Lu Guichen shook his head and looked out the window, as if in a trance. "I went to Mingkeli again this afternoon. I wanted to find the jade ring I saw last time. Do you remember what I told you? The green one, but that shop is really small, and there are so many in Mingkeli Jade store, I’ve been looking around for a long time, but I can’t remember which jade store I found it in. Maybe Ji Ye still remembers, I saw it with you and Ji Ye, right?” Lu Guichen's lips moved, but he didn't make a sound. "What are you doing, Asule? You haven't spoken all day." Lu Guichen glanced at her, but finally said nothing.