The rise of the prince

Chapter 234 Capital Reaction + Expansion of the Palace

In the early morning, the early cold in early spring has not dissipated, Li Xingzhou got up early as usual.

Shiyu beside him was still asleep, and he got out of bed softly. The bearskin mattress given by the Jiangzhou businessman was indeed comfortable, warm and fluffy. It would not be easy for future generations to make such a thing.

After Li Xingzhou finished washing, he took advantage of the opportunity to touch Shiyu's plump buttocks. The girl was clever and gave him a look. Of course, he could see that the girl had woken up long ago, but she was just pretending to be asleep.The injury on his shoulder is now almost healed and he can resume his morning exercises as usual.

"What's the matter with the injury on your shoulder?" The girl who was exposed turned her back to him and asked in a low voice.

It was not yet bright, and the light in the room was dim, but he did not light the lamp, and while binding his legs, he teased and said, "Why, do you care about your husband?"

"Shut up!" the girl said angrily.

Li Xingzhou stopped teasing her. He pulled the cup to cover her white and smooth shoulders and back, and said in a low voice, "It was done when the assassin entered the city last time. Sleep a little longer, and I'll call you when I come back."

Shiyu didn't speak, he went downstairs alone, first practiced the Bajiquan routines a few times in the small courtyard under the patio downstairs, and then started running on the street. The fireworks venue was still lit, and apart from that, the entire Kaiyuan City was shrouded in tranquility.

Two days ago, the news of the defeat in the south came, the government and the people were shocked, and the emperor was furious.

Li Xingzhou did not expect this to happen. The rear army rushed forward and went down the river, colliding with the front army that was retreating rapidly and retreating with the wind. He had seen the imperial ship once at Yuanmendu, the largest It is conservatively estimated that the displacement of the empty ship is about [-] tons, and with the soldiers, weapons, luggage, etc. on board, it is close to [-] tons.

A boat of this level goes down the river, but it doesn't mean that it can be stopped just by stopping.
It can be said that one misstep will cause eternal hatred, and a grain of mouse droppings ruined a pot of soup.

When he heard such news, he wanted to scold someone, but Yang Hongzhao was probably the one who was more annoyed. As a veteran, he could be said to be cautious, and he managed to plan his strategies well, anticipating that the enemy was thousands of miles away.

If his former army can withdraw safely with people and boats according to the plan in advance, and wait for another month or two, then it will be decided in a battle to go south. Just go down.

What if tens of thousands of people gather together to eat and drink?As long as the imperial army guards Guazhou, they can't rush out, and they will disperse after a long time, or even bigger problems will arise if they don't disperse.

So Yang Hongzhao thought clearly. He just had to let the whole army retreat to Guazhou to garrison safely and wait for the opportunity to win.

But at this time, the rear army rushed to follow up, which caused a catastrophe. Li Xingzhou didn't know what was going on in the crown prince's mind, most likely he wanted to win.
The emperor was so angry that he cursed in front of his courtiers and dropped things. He had already ordered the prince to return to Beijing immediately, and the rear army was also handed over to Yang Hongzhao to command.

The prince is still in Guazhou, but he keeps reporting that he is wronged because the lieutenant general gave him the idea
Li Xingzhou wanted to laugh when he heard the news from Ji Chunsheng. He was teased by the prince.

The prince is like a naive child, but he can't be blamed, after all, he hasn't experienced any big storms, even the crown prince has not experienced palace battles, because no one dared to fight with him when King Xiao was around.

If the prince does not shirk his responsibility, no matter how he is a prince, even if thousands of people are killed, the emperor will at most do some superficial punishment to stabilize the hearts of the people. It's not the prince who is the chief general who makes the decision, how dare the deputy general give orders?
He didn't think of countermeasures first when encountering problems, but instead shirked responsibility. I'm afraid the emperor would be even more angry with him now.

Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty once said: "Those who speak are not crazy, but those who choose are not clear. This is the great trouble of the country, so this is the reason."

It means: Those who give opinions are not arrogant and dare not speak out, but those who make decisions cannot make correct and wise decisions. This is the biggest disaster for a country.

This can be said to be fundamental, so Emperor Hanwen is a real Mingjun.

The emperor is a decision-maker. The difference between a decision-maker and a suggester is that there is no right or wrong suggestion, wise or wise. As long as it is a suggestion, you can raise it. However, there are correct and wise decisions in decision-making. The decision-maker must be correct. .

A good emperor must be a good decision maker. He doesn’t need to be extremely smart or resourceful. What he needs to do is to make wise decisions, and this step is too difficult. It is recommended that one should not take responsibility, but decision-making does.

It is recommended not to bear the pressure of too much responsibility, but the decision-maker needs to bear all the consequences, so people often like wise counselors, and do not worship decisive heroes, because the advisers do not have so much pressure.

And the prince obviously didn't understand his position.

He is the future emperor and the supreme decision-maker in charge of the country in the future. He makes wrong decisions, but puts the responsibility on those who advise him.

This reminds Li Xingzhou of a famous person, that is, Yuan Shao in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Like the prince, his indecision is just an appearance. The root is that he does not have a clear understanding of his position and identity deep in his heart. The emperor is not angry No wonder.

I'm afraid the prince will be in bad luck when he comes back this time.
After running around for a few laps, I vaguely saw some people coming out to set up stalls, some selling bean juice, and some selling buns and steamed buns. Li Xingzhou stopped to buy some, and more and more pedestrians were on the side of the road, discussing the war in the south in the morning fog. Everyone is cursing the prince.

It is said that most of the sergeants were safely evacuated to Guazhou according to the battle report ahead, but all the warships were destroyed.

Listening to people's comments, Li Xingzhou gradually became restless.

Because of this defeat, it meant that Jing Chaoheyuan's main artery, from Jiangzhou to Kaiyuan, to Guazhou and Suzhou, to Jiannan Road, was blocked, and his biggest plan was completely stranded.

Even he couldn't help but want to scold the prince. If it wasn't for his bad deeds, Yang Hongzhao would be able to win Suzhou and restore the river transportation sooner or later.
Li Xingzhou paid the money and walked back with the soy milk and buns.

At this time, I also thought of the dumbfounding incident in Suzhou. Su Banchuan, the magistrate of Suzhou, just claimed to be Xu Gong, and after declaring Ansu Mansion independent as Xu State, the army ambushed the imperial army at Anxiakou that night. A gang of robbers took advantage of the emptiness in Suzhou City, broke into Ansu Mansion, and killed Su Banchuan and his family.

Among them is the fat Su Huan that Li Xingzhou met at the Plum Garden Poetry Fair
It can be said that good fortune tricks people. After finally becoming the king of a country, he was killed by a few small robbers, which makes people laugh and cry.

It is said that his younger brother Su Ban'an took over Xu State, and then sent troops to wipe out the bandit dens in the Mishan Mountain, as revenge for his brother.
It can be said that this process is very complicated and confusing, which makes people dumbfounded.

However, there have been many such things in history, Li Xingzhou didn't think it was too strange, the world is impermanent.

For example, the long-term overlord of the Jin State in the Spring and Autumn Period had a wise monarch, Duke Jing of Jin.

But it is such a monarch, the toilet collapsed when he was going to the toilet, fell into the cesspit and was drowned alive. He died so aggrieved that people didn't know what expression to put on.

The same is true for Su Banchuan, who has an army of 10,000+ and the most affluent prefecture, but was killed by a few robbers rushing into his house, and died very aggrieved.

Soon he had already returned downstairs and came in through the small door in the backyard. At this time, the door of the Treasure Pavilion had not yet opened, so he went up to the third floor quietly, and put the bean juice and buns on the black lacquered table. He estimated that it was only around seven o'clock, and it was not yet dawn. Tomorrow, poetry did not rise.

He studied ink by himself, and then started to write according to the usual practice. He was still thinking about the affairs in the south, and he could only hope that Yang Hongzhao could put down the chaos soon. This was the only thing he could hope for.

There was a slight rubbing sound behind him, and when he looked back, Shiyu had already woken up and was getting dressed.

"Turn over!"

"It's not like I haven't seen it before." Li Xingzhou smirked, and then he was kicked. In his arms, the woman with her belt half unbuttoned and her breasts half exposed is the most alluring.

Sensing his change, Shiyu became flustered: "You rascal, let me go!"

Li Xingzhou didn't let him go. He was just a hooligan. Everyone called him a gangster because of the face. In fact, the meaning is the same in the end. He just doesn't like people who act according to other people's rules.

"Let go!"

"You're a quick learner." Li Xingzhou said without thinking, then pulled her clothes up and tied her belts.

"What did you say."

"posture."

"."

Shiyu hit him in the chest.

Li Xingzhou found that although Shiyu was a few years older than him, she was only a little taller than Yue'er, and about the same size as Qiu'er. She could still be considered small in front of him, and it wasn't crowded in his arms at all.

There is a word called Rijiu Shengqing, Chinese is broad and profound, so it depends on how you understand it, but whether it is a joke or the truth, or psychologically speaking, this situation does exist.

Shiyu was different from before, and he didn't try hard to break free, but his beautiful eyes just stared at him like this, which was a bit cute, but it's a pity that he is not afraid of boiling water.

While helping her dress, she said seriously: "Now you can live wherever you want, but if you have children, you must live in the palace, understand."

Shiyu snorted softly, then stopped talking, not knowing what she meant.

Li Xingzhou helped her up: "Go and wash up quickly, and then have breakfast, it's getting cold."

The reason why he lived here was because the palace held another internal meeting last night. All the supervisors gathered in the palace. Li Xingzhou also called Shiyu, and then took the opportunity to send her home.

As the manager of Zhenbao Pavilion, she should be present, and recently, with her excellent interpersonal relationship handling ability, the income of Zhenbao Pavilion has surpassed that of Tingyu Building, becoming the No. [-] source of income for the palace.

Although some people in the palace still complained, after all, in their eyes, Shiyu was still a wild woman that the prince found outside, so how could he be qualified to attend such a meeting.

After all, people have psychological tendencies. Everyone is so determined in their hearts from the beginning, and they will subconsciously ignore her credit, but Li Xingzhou has his own decision, and he has a steelyard in his heart.

Qiu'er and Yue'er finally saw their "heart and heart" Shiyu girl. Although the little girl complained behind her back, her attitude was much better than other people in the mansion when she saw her. So had a great chat.

Another thing is that Wang Fu is going to buy two nearby restaurants. I heard that Yulou is on fire, but the source of customers is limited, and the surrounding restaurants can't continue to open. Several restaurant shopkeepers have discussed with Yan Kun, and they really can't continue to open and want to sell restaurants. Go home for the elderly.

In the end, Yan Kun consulted with Li Xingzhou, and chose two houses that were far away from Tingyu Tower and had a spacious and elegant appearance. The purchase of the two houses cost more than 1 taels, and it was a hemorrhage.

Fortunately, the 10 taels given by the emperor have been delivered from Du Zhisi one after another, so we can advance it first.

Anyway, the money will be paid back soon, and the 10 taels can be returned slowly. This is embezzlement of public funds in modern times. It will be very difficult if you can’t do everything well. If you reveal flaws, you will be sanctioned by the complete legal system.

But in this era, such a thing does not exist at all, and Li Xingzhou has the final say on whether to use it or not.

The two restaurant chains are named after Qiu'er and Yue'er, the one on the west side of the city is called "Zhiyue Tower", and the one on the east side of the city is called "Zhiqiu Tower". The little girl was very happy for several days.

Yue'er can't be free now, she is always chattering, so she has the best relationship with the maids in the palace. Li Xingzhou asked her to take the lead in making perfumes, expanding from plum blossom perfumes to narcissus, orchids, osmanthus, etc.

The difficulty in making perfume lies in the materials and fine detail control, which are what careful girls are best at. Luxuries are easy to make money, and Li Xingzhou has tasted the sweetness, and began to think about other luxuries.

On the other hand, thanks to the efforts of Zhu Rong and their Zhu family members, the experiment of graphite refractories is coming to an end, and the best ratio can almost be determined. Due to limited conditions, it cannot be made more refined, but it is not enough.

Always, everything in the Palace is in order, but at this time, the South was defeated.
In this way, the area around Suzhou, the southern waterway, is no longer safe, and the next step is completely blocked.

He also planned to buy general wine and perfume from the palace to the south in the future, and then buy olives, saltpeter mines and other things from the south, but he didn't expect this to happen.

Li Xingzhou was upset and knocked on his head
"What are you writing, the most talented person in Kyoto, can you only write this one word?" Shiyu was drinking the soy milk he bought, while looking at the two "正" characters he had written and hung on the wall. .

Li Xingzhou smirked: "You don't understand, I'm trying to warn myself."

"Hmph, the most dignified bully in the capital, fearless of heaven and earth, will speak vigilant words." Shiyu raised her white and beautiful chin, and then taunted him.

"Hahaha" Li Xingzhou laughed loudly, and then raised his eyebrows to fight back: "Didn't you call me husband last night?"

Then he was stomped angrily.

Slowly, he discovered that this seemingly tough and resolute girl actually has a shy side.She doesn't like to light the lamp, and if she is forced to be on it, she will not dare to look at him, and she can't talk about the night in front of her during the day, otherwise she will be at a loss.

Li Xingzhou grinned and covered his feet, then laughed: "Come to the palace to have dinner at night, and ask someone to pick you up in the afternoon."

"No!" Shiyu subconsciously refused.

But when she finished speaking, she turned around and found that Li Xingzhou had already gone downstairs, and she was never given a chance to refuse.

I haven't seen De Gong these days, because of the war in the south, the court discusses matters every day these days, and there is no time at all.

And Li Xingzhou was also buried in the Wangfu workshop every day, polishing the parts of the Suifa gun with the blacksmith, and the main force was the youngest iron bull among the many blacksmiths.

In the era without steam, oil and electricity, all parts could only be polished by hand, and each part required a lot of time, which was very time-consuming.

In fact, the same is true of the quick-fire guns in history. In the [-]th century, a British family workshop could only produce about five or six quick-fire guns a year, because all the parts needed to be polished by hand, which was very time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Li Xingzhou has more craftsmen. He can draw good drawings and assign different parts to different craftsmen for polishing. But even so, it is very time-consuming. Until this afternoon, most of the parts have been polished, only the Suishi card slot and the spring piece Not finished.

The function of the spring is to store energy. After the trigger is pulled, the trigger and flint can bounce back. It is a test of toughness. This is also the most difficult part, because the current material is not tough enough, and it needs to be coated with lead or other inert metal outer layer to solve it.

In the afternoon, Ji Chunsheng came back.

As soon as he returned to the palace, he would habitually come to see Li Xingzhou and tell him what happened in the court. In fact, most of them were expected.

There was another quarrel in the court, this time it was about who would be the commander of the rear army after the prince returned to Beijing.

There are not a few people who jumped out to fight, so there is no conclusion for the time being.

Li Xingzhou didn't want to care about who would supervise the rear army. All he hoped was that this matter could be resolved as soon as possible. After all, Qiu'er's ship design had entered the final stage. If it wasn't for his own supervision these days, the little girl would have been sleepless.

If there are no mistakes, then the new ship belonging to the Wangfu can start construction next month, and it will be launched around June this year. It will gallop across the river and monopolize shipping. Don't make trouble at this time.
(End of this chapter)