Shu Chen

Chapter 158
In February, mid-spring.

In the suburbs of Chengdu, the spring is warm and flowers are blooming, and the grass is growing and warblers are flying.

On the banks of the Zouma River, the water is low, the grass is low, and the willows that have sprouted are intoxicated in the spring breeze, proudly flaunting the lingering sunshine.

With such a beautiful scenery, it is time for Lishu in the head of Guizhou to prepare for the upcoming spring plowing.But for aristocratic families and carnivores, it is a sudden leisure to take their families out for a leisurely trip.

In the willow river embankment where rich and powerful cars and horses come and go, several war horses leisurely wagging their tails and snorting, seem out of place.

It also makes people who go out for an outing, can't help but look at it when they pass by.

I saw two young men holding the reins of the horses, whispering something with smiles, and occasionally pointing at the horses, as if they were discussing riding skills.

On the other side is a strong man eight feet long, with bird feathers on his head and animal teeth on his neck, standing with his hands down.

The tall and straight like a pines and cypresses, with his hands not more than half a foot away from the handle of the knife at the side of his waist, and the cautious guard from the corner of his eyes, it is not difficult to see the ability in him that Naijiu has been in the army for a long time.

The positions of these three people are faintly surrounded by a scholar standing under a willow tree.

The scholar was dressed in white, about [-] years old, seven feet five inches in length, three strands of beard neatly trimmed, his face was like a crown jade, and his eyes were like lacquer.

Now he is holding a bamboo flute in one hand and carrying it on his back, half-closed his eyes and meditating.

The spring breeze gently tugs at the corners of the clothes, and against the background of green willow trees and sparkling water, it looks majestic and extraordinary.

Such a beautiful woman naturally attracted the attention of countless people.

When he looked at it carefully, he couldn't help but secretly let out a sigh.

There was a scar on the man's face, which added a bit of ferocity to the originally gentle appearance.

"Sister, that is Sang Yuan Zheng Lang."

When a cramped deer cart passed by more than ten steps away, an elderly man in the cart covered his lips with his sleeve and whispered to another person.

Although they are all wearing men's clothing, it is not difficult to tell that they are women.

If an important official of the imperial court passed by, he would still be surprised and pay homage.

Because one of them is the queen of today's big man.

The person she replaced as a younger sister was naturally the second daughter of the former General Cheqi, her name was Yan, and her small character was Wen Dai.

I saw that she was as her name suggests, with a bright face and curving black eyebrows, but her straight nose added a ray of heroic spirit.The body should be quite tall, sitting upright and sitting in the car are obviously a little taller than Queen Zhang.

The temperament seems to be quite generous.

After hearing what Queen Zhang said, she turned her head to the side, not worried at all about being noticed by others, and looked closely with her two bright eyes.

Until the deer cart slowly passed by, and Queen Zhang raised her sleeve to cover her eyes, she frowned and uttered as crisply as a yellow warbler coming out of the valley, "Sister, he is shorter than elder brother and not very strong. Well, he is better than brother Zhong point."

"Puchi~~"

Involuntarily, Empress Zhang smiled at Pingting, and said with crooked eyebrows, "Today I am as strong as a big brother, how many are there! My sister is not too demanding on this. Let me tell you, what do you think of Zheng Lang in the mulberry garden?"

Well, although Zheng Pu and Zhang Yan have been engaged for a long time, they have never met each other.

But today, the emperor Liu Chan will take out the clothes and let Zheng Pu go with him.

Empress Zhang, who heard the news, returned to Zhang's mansion and pretended to go on an outing with Zhang Yan, so that the younger sister could first see what her future husband would look like.

"Hmm~"

Zhang Yan, who was still frowning, tilted her head slightly, and said after thinking a little, "Although there are scars on his face, he is not ugly. It was mentioned in the letter by the eldest brother that he is resourceful, decisive and strong-tempered; but Brother Zhong said that he is as gentle as jade, and likes to play jokes, talking with him is like drinking wine and getting drunk."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for Queen Zhang to reply, he added another sentence, "Sister, in your opinion, is he a man with different appearances and a lot of scheming, that's why elder brother and brother Zhong have different assertions?"

"Chuckles."

A silver bell-like laugh came from Queen Zhang's mouth, and her shoulders were shaking slightly.

"Sister!"

Holding on to Queen Zhang's arm, Zhang Yan frowned even deeper, and a faintly embarrassed voice sounded.

"Okay, okay~~ Elder sister stopped laughing."

After waving her hands again and again, Empress Zhang took a deep breath, and after trying to suppress her smile, Fang explained softly, "That's because brother and Wen Ji have different positions. Brother is determined to conquer the army, so he has always been happy and generous. There are strategy masters who are similar. But Wen Ji is obsessed with literature, hence the name Zheng Lang of Mu Sangyuan. This is not because Mr. Zheng Lang has a different appearance, but because his elder brother and Wen Ji see things differently."

After he finished speaking, he paused and then added, "It can also be seen that Zheng Langjun's talent is rarely matched by others. It can be called Yunwen Yunwu, but I am a handsome man."

"Oh"

Zhang Yan suddenly realized, her red lips parted slightly, and she nodded slightly.

It was a pair of water-cut eyes that turned around, and then asked again, "Sister, it seems that there is a saying in the government and the public. He is similar to the former Fayihou. He has a good meal and a grudge. He takes revenge. I don't know the rumors. Is it true?"

Uh.
After hearing this, Empress Zhang was suddenly at a loss for words and seemed to be thinking.

Because she is not good at asserting.

Since her elder brother Zhang Bao asked the emperor Liu Chan to give him a marriage, she not only sent some people to inquire about Zheng Pu's past in private, but also often asked the emperor about Zheng Pu's relationship with his colleagues.

For example, Zheng Pu chased away guests in the past.

Last year, when the Han army left Longyou, he and Ma Di guarded the Xiaoguan Road, and was almost injured by Ma Di's rash advance, but after the war, he remonstrated with the prime minister Zhuge Liang, and Ma Di was sentenced to a lighter sentence.

I just don't know, was this son pleading for Ma Di that day, was he trying to repay the kindness of Ma Di's recommendation in the past, or was he just repaying the evil of the country justly and justly, similar to "foreign extortion does not avoid hatred"?

It should be the latter, right?

Well, the wedding is coming soon, and my sister is still young, so I chose the latter.

Empress Zhang, who was thinking in her heart, had a gurgling smile and held her little sister's catkin instead, "The rumors are unbelievable. Sister, just think about it, Mr. Zheng Jialang has been an official for six years, and everyone who works with him praises him Talents are keen in learning, and few people use words to destroy them. From this, it can be seen that Mr. Zheng Jialang is not a narrow-minded person who will be punished."

"Well, as my sister said, it is indeed rare to hear someone slandering Zheng Langjun with words."

Pointing her head together, Zhang Yan frowned, and a sly look appeared on her face, "So, if I don't like female celebrities, he will definitely not be harsh on them in the future. Hee hee!"

"Heh~~~"

Hearing this, Empress Zhang couldn't help but smile, stretched out her finger to poke her little sister's forehead, and said in a loving tone, "You!"

This young girl of the Zhang family loves literature, is good at rhythm, and is good at dancing swords. She can be said to have excellent talents and virtues.

However, since childhood, she has not liked female celebrities, and has never done weaving, sewing clothes and shoes.

For example, after the emperor Liu Chan began to personally cultivate the land, Queen Zhang also became a phoenix.Often driving to the prime minister's mansion, picking mulberries, weaving cloth and sewing clothes with Zhuge Huang's family, etc., has become a good story passed down by the scholars of the Han Dynasty.Right now, every time the Empress wants her to go with her, she always shirks with various reasons.

"The ruler is long and the inch is short."

Zhang Yan, who was poked on the forehead, was not ashamed, but smiled, and said aloud, "My sister is a good girl, but I can't understand the rhythm! Although I don't work for female workers, I can dance swords and play the piano, and Why force too much!"

"Sister, this is a sly word!"

"It's not true, but each has its own strengths! Hee hee~~~"

Let's talk and laugh.

Whispering in a slow voice on the slowly going away deer cart, dissipated in the murmur of the spring breeze.

Zheng Pu didn't know about this.

He kept his eyes closed all the time, his mind was full of the conversation he had with Hussar General Li Yan yesterday.

Nearly a month after returning to Chengdu, he even visited Jiang Wan, Zhang Biao, and Xiang Chong, the home of his future in-laws, when he was having a warm and joyful reunion with his family.

However, since he returned from a rest this time, he never visited Li Yan.

After all, he was a high-ranking minister entrusted by the late emperor.

Moreover, the two had never met before, so it was not suitable for him to visit rashly.

It's not that he is afraid, but he has a reputation of being a trendy person.

With his status as soon to be the emperor's brother-in-law, no one would think that he still has the intention to curry favor with Li Yan.

Instead, he didn't want to disturb Li Yan, who was always known for his pride, and avoided seeing him on the grounds that he was busy with state affairs, making his visit a joke for a while.

Especially elder brother Zheng Yan's mother's family, nephew Wang Chong, the descendant of the Wang family in Qi County, was forced by Li Yan to vote against Wei.

Due to emotion and reason, he is not good at visiting in private.

Unexpectedly, Li Yan actually sent someone to invite him to the mansion, and asked him to go there because he wanted to know the size of Longyou.

For such a reason, Zheng Pu couldn't refuse.

Fortunately, after arriving at the official office, Li Yan had no other thoughts.

With just a few polite words, he asked in detail about the deployment of the soldiers and horses of the various ministries of the Han Dynasty, the morale and storage of grain and fodder;

In this regard, Zheng Pu answered one by one according to the facts.

As far as the two are concerned, they have neither the intention of making friends nor being rude.

Just when he was about to leave, Li Yanshang said to himself, "Now that I am a big Han cavalry soldier, there is a Xianbei begging tribe in Wei Guanzhong and Liangzhou to cut off the road. Why don't the prime minister take this opportunity to send troops to capture Liangzhou?" evil?"

However, at that time, Li Yan turned around and left without asking Zheng Pu to reply.

In other words, he should plan to write a letter to ask the prime minister himself.

After all, the only person who can decide this matter is the prime minister.

But after hearing about it, Zheng Pu felt a little worried in his heart.

Because the resettlement of farmland in Hanzhong County, Wudu County and Longyou has not yet been perfected.Before Hanzhong County began to become a land of grain and fodder in Longyou, the Dahan did not have the opportunity to march into Liangzhou on a large scale.

Unless, it is to use more than ten thousand soldiers and horses to try to see if it is possible to capture Xiaoguan.

However, Li Yanzhi said that he planned to send out the whole army, and it seemed vaguely that he wanted to ask for orders to lead the army in person!

Could it be that he is already impatient with the matter of dispatching food and fodder in the rear, and working hard on paperwork?

That is to say, he was also a minister of the former emperor Tuogu, now the prime minister went to Longyou in the first battle, he also has the idea of ​​galloping on the battlefield and making great achievements again?
Zheng Pu couldn't say for sure.

Unable to place his beak, he hovered this thought in his heart and pondered it carefully.

"Hahaha~~~~ Zijin has been waiting for a long time, right?"

A hearty laugh interrupted Zheng Pu's thoughts.

Opening his eyes for a smile, Zheng Pu cupped his hands in salute, "Not for long. However, Liu Jun's decoration is quite a pretense of a tiger minister!"

The one who came was the emperor Liu Chan.

He was surrounded by more than a dozen riders and drove his horses. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, with a bow and a knife on his back, like a general who had received Hugh Mu and led his retinue to hunt and have fun in the mountains.

"Zijin is too famous!"

With a gurgling smile on his face, the emperor waved his hand as a preface, "I have never fought in front of the battle, how can I be compared to a tiger minister?"

After speaking, he urged again, "Zijin get on the horse quickly, I'll wait and talk."

"promise!"

Responding to the call again, Zheng Pu took the reins of the horse handed over by his servant, Qi Yacuo, leaped vigorously, and rode the horse slowly behind half a horse's head with the emperor.

As for the others, without the emperor's instructions, they spontaneously went ahead or were more than ten steps behind.

The sun is warm, the cool breeze is blowing, and the greenery is beautiful all the way.

Everyone rode their horses and trotted, stretching their hearts wantonly on the slightly bumpy horseback.

The emperor Liu Chan's humble obedience has no intention of visiting Li, the common people, the orphans, the widows and the poor, nor does he discuss military and state affairs, but simply wants to go out of the palace for an outing.Therefore, when he rode his horse across the Zouma River and could see the Longquan Mountains in the distance, he stubbornly insisted on racing horses with Zheng Pu;

Until the day passed and he slowly started his way home, he restrained himself and said it.

"Zijin's loss of face for the country is an act of heroism. However, he was ridiculed privately by General Che Qi. Do you feel aggrieved?"

Ok?
Hearing this, Zheng Pu was astonished.

Immediately, with an unswerving look on his face, he turned his head and stared at Fu Qian.

He didn't sue the emperor for being called "Scarpu", and he didn't spread it to Chengdu.

However, today the son actually found out that it was only reported by Fu Qian who was staying in the palace.

Alas, although this son has good intentions, he is plotting against me!

Involuntarily, Zheng Pu sighed quietly in his heart, and did not answer for a while.

"Zijin, don't blame Gongyuan for being talkative."

Seeing Zheng Pu's attitude, Emperor Liu Chan waved his hand, and said leniently, "Gong Yuan is a disciple, and he is still young. To get the hatred of insulting the teacher, and not to repay it with a blade, is already self-denial for the country."

"Liu Jun's words, forgive me for not agreeing."

Zheng Pu shook his head slightly, and said in a calm tone, "Mr. Liu is the leader of a country, how can he disturb him with such a trivial matter? It can be seen that this is not clear."

"A trivial matter?"

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Emperor Liu Chan asked in surprise.

Not long after, he showed a happy face, and his tone was quite gratified, "Zijin is really a gentleman! I have been thinking about it for a while, and I thought I would write a book to accuse General Cheqi, so that Zijin would not suffer from it." Well, General Cheqi is a guest of the late emperor and a veteran of the court; even if he behaves inappropriately, I don’t want to criticize him harshly, it’s because I don’t take Zijin’s reputation seriously.”

"Thank you Liu Jun for your protection."

Smiling, Zheng Pu saluted on horseback, "However, although it is disrespectful, I dare to say it. If Liu Jun writes a letter to blame the chariot and cavalry general, I may be criticized even more."

"Well, why?"

Immediately, the emperor Liu Chan was greatly surprised and couldn't help asking.

"It's the soldiers in the army, and the widows and low husbands."

Zheng Pu smiled, and answered softly, "I'm disfigured, and I've already spread the word of mouth. Whether Liu Jun has a letter to accuse the general of chariots or not, I can't stop him. If this is the case, why bother to make such a fuss Everyone knows it, and it hurts the prime minister?"

"I see."

Nodding repeatedly, the emperor suddenly realized.

Immediately, he stroked his beard with one hand again and asked, "However, Zijin was humiliated for no reason, and there is no hatred in his heart?"

(End of this chapter)