Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 445: Official Summon
Shen Congxing didn't wait for the two to answer, and said to himself: "Bianjing is extremely prosperous, but I feel that it is not as comfortable as when I was in Yuzhou."

After saying that, Shen Congxing picked up the wine glass and drank it.

"Shen Guo...Brother Shen, please be careful with your words." Gu Tingye said with a serious expression.

After Shen Congxing arrived, he kept asking for wine. He knew that Shen Congxing had a good relationship with his wife, and he just thought that Shen Congxing was sad because of his wife's death.

Now it seems there is something else going on.

Shen Congxing seemed not to have heard anything, and said self-deprecatingly: "My wife died to save my sister. I wanted to give some respect to the Zou family, so I promised them to marry my wife's sister as a successor. But my brother-in-law asked me to marry the daughter of the Duke of Ying. I can't even decide who to marry, so I don't care if I am not the uncle of the king."

"Uncle Shen, let's drink." Li An winked at Gu Tingye and raised his glass.

"Yes, yes, drink."

Only then did Gu Tingye realize the reason for what had happened. He came to his senses and quickly raised his glass.

But we can't let him continue. If he says something outrageous, it will be troublesome.

Shen Congxing was already in a depressed mood, and after the two men kept forcing him to drink, he soon passed out on the table.

Seeing this, Gu Tingye breathed a sigh of relief and asked someone to call Shen Congxing's entourage and ask them to send Shen Congxing back.

Watching Shen Congxing's carriage go away, Gu Tingye breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the main hall with Li An.

"Zhong Huai, are you okay?" Li An saw that Gu Tingye's face looked a little strange and asked with concern.

Gu Tingye shook his head upon hearing this, sent the waiter away, and said, "I am worried about Uncle Shen. The emperor has succeeded to the throne, and now the only thing he truly controls is the Palace Front Office, so he has to ask the empress dowager to rule the country from behind the curtain. It is inevitable to appease the noble officials of Bianjing through marriage, but Uncle Shen is so disgusted with this. If something goes wrong, it will be troublesome."

When Prince Yan rebelled, the Dianqian Division was the one that was most affected.

Not only did a large number of imperial guards die in the battle, but many of their officers and generals were also involved.

Therefore, Zhao Zongquan placed all his trusted aides from Yuzhou into the Dianqian Division.

The Palace Front Division was the emperor's personal army, so he could naturally arrange them at will, and the civil and military officials in the court had no say in the matter.

But if you want to control the military power, it would be a bit difficult.

Among Zhao Zongquan's subordinates, only Shen Congxing had a higher official position before, as he was the deputy commander of the Yuzhou wing army. Lao Geng, Xiao Duan and others were only a captain before.

If one wants to place them in the Western Suburbs Camp to control military power, not to mention whether they have enough ability, it will be difficult to convince people just by their qualifications.

The emperor can't do whatever he wants.
It is inevitable to win over a group of prestigious nobles in the army through marriage.

If Shen Congxing gets upset, he will end up making things worse.

"Zhong Huai, I think your worries are unnecessary. Uncle Shen knows the seriousness of the matter." Li An comforted.

"I hope so."

Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. The government has its own headaches for these matters, and it's not my place to worry about them."

"That's the right way to think. Don't meddle in other people's business. Just do your job well." Li An said with a smile.

"Come, have a drink." Gu Tingye said, picking up the wine glass.

Li An picked up the wine glass, clinked it with his, and drank it all.

"I was surprised that the emperor did not enthrone a crown prince," said Gu Tingye.

"The emperor is young and strong, so there is no need to rush to appoint a crown prince." Li An said.

Gu Tingye whispered: "I don't think it's that simple. Our official is a bit suspicious."

"Haha, then you have to be careful. I'm just a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and you're the deputy commander of the Palace Front Department." Li An said with a smile.

"I know, but we don't know the current situation yet. Let's take it one step at a time." Gu Tingye nodded.

……

"Guanren, are you okay?"

In the carriage, Minglan saw Li An's blushing face and said with concern.

"It's okay." Li An rubbed his face and smiled, "I just drank too much. I'll be fine after a good sleep."

"Sir, what's going on with Uncle Shen? I heard from Sister Yanran that Uncle Shen seemed to be in a bad mood. Did something happen in the court?" Minglan asked.

"Uncle Shen intended to marry his first wife's sister as his second wife, but the emperor asked him to marry the daughter of the Duke of England. He was feeling depressed, so he came to Zhong Huai to have a drink." Li An said.

Minglan sighed upon hearing this and said, "What a pity for Madam Zou."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Don't forget to ask someone to prepare some gifts tomorrow. I will accompany you back to the Sheng family the day after tomorrow." Li An said.

"Yeah, I remember it." Minglan nodded.

After returning home, Li Ang drank a little too much, so he washed up and went to bed to rest.

When I woke up, it was already the next day.

After washing, having breakfast and changing into official clothes, he took a carriage to the palace.

Minglan sent someone back to the Sheng family to inform them, and then went to the warehouse.

Apart from silver, the rest of the Li family's warehouse were some ordinary things.

At this time, you can see the gap between us and those wealthy families.

Generally, wealthy families have some nice collections, and you can just pick some out from the warehouse as gifts.

But the Li family only had money, and they didn't have any valuable treasures.

When Li An got married, Shen Congxing and others came, but they did not receive any rewards at that time, and they had nothing, and the gifts they brought were not precious.

Minglan checked it over, shook her head, and asked someone to prepare the car so that she could go out and buy some things.

Tomorrow is the first time that Li An will go to the Sheng family after his marriage. The size of the gift represents Li Ang's face.

……

When Li An arrived at the Hanlin Academy, all the officials he met congratulated him.

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, Li An has the merit of delivering the blood edict. In the eyes of everyone, he is the new emperor's confidant and has a bright future.

Li An nodded in response with a smile and walked all the way to the Shujishi's office.

He chatted with his colleagues for a while. Because there were so many people, he only had a brief chat with Sheng Changbai before packing up and leaving.

When we arrived at the editor's office, there were not many people there, only three people talking in low voices.

Seeing Li An coming in, one of the men, who was about 30 years old, stood up and asked, "Is this Li Ziqian?"

"That's right." Li An returned the greeting.

The other two also stood up and greeted Li An. After introducing each other, Li An learned that their names were Zhang Weihua and Fan Cunjin.

As for the other person, it was Lin Yizi.

Li An was not surprised to see Lin Yizi. He had some relationship with Prince Yong but nothing with Prince Yan, so naturally he would not be implicated.

When Lin Yizi saw Li An looking at him, his eyes were a little evasive.

He used to think that he had the support of Prince Yong and had a bright future. He felt that he was superior to others, but because Li An did not appreciate his kindness, he often gave Li An a hard time.

Unexpectedly, the world is unpredictable. Prince Yan plotted a rebellion, and all of Prince Yong's family died except for a young son.

Many people who supported Prince Yong were killed, including his father-in-law, Duke Rong. Fortunately, the family line did not end without an heir.

Li An glanced at him and ignored him.

He never took Lin Yizhi seriously. After chatting with Fan Cunjin for a few words, Zhang Weihua said, "Ziqian, this seat is empty, you can sit down."

"Thank you."

Li An thanked him and sat down. The work of the editor was easier than that of the Shujishi. The main responsibility was to compile the records and record the emperor's words and deeds.

This record was not recorded like the record of the Emperor's attendant, who followed the Emperor, but was compiled based on the records of the Emperor's attendant.

The recorder would only send the records every five days, so there was no need to edit them on a regular basis.

In addition, if the emperor needed it, he would summon them to lecture on classics and history.

However, this job is usually done by Hanlin scholars and has nothing to do with them.

These are what Fan Cunjin and Zhang Weihua told him.

The whole morning passed in idle chat. In the afternoon, when Li An was chatting with them, a eunuch came to the editor's office.

"Your Majesty summoned Li An and Li Xiuzhuan to go to Longtu Pavilion to give a lecture."

Li An was stunned and looked at Fan Cunjin and Zhang Weihua. These two people had just told him in the morning that the government would not summon them to compile and lecture on the scriptures, but they came in the afternoon.

But he didn't have time to think about it and hurriedly followed the eunuch.

On the way, Li An asked the eunuch who was leading the way, but got nothing.

He came to his senses at this time and realized that Zhao Zongquan's summoning him to preach was just a cover.

After all, Zhao Zongquan just ascended the throne yesterday, so he doesn't have the time or mood to listen to people preaching.

When he arrived outside Longtu Pavilion, Li was still confused and didn't understand what Zhao Zongquan wanted him to do.

Although he made great contributions by delivering the blood edict, he was only a newly-appointed Jinshi after all.

If Zhao Zongquan doesn't try to win over important officials in the court, what's the point of looking for him?

The eunuch who led the way negotiated with the eunuch on duty at the door, and the eunuch on duty at the door went in to report.

The eunuch who led Li An told him to wait here and left.

After a while, the eunuch who had gone in to report came out and said, "The emperor has summoned you. Li Xiuzhuan, please follow me."

Li An quickly straightened his clothes and followed him into Longtu Pavilion.

After entering the Longtu Pavilion, Li An lowered his head slightly and did not dare to look around.

Seeing the eunuch leading the way stopped, he also stopped.

"Your Majesty, Li Xiuzhuan has been brought here."

"Your Majesty, your servant Li An pays respects to you!" Li An bowed quickly.

"Haha, there's no need to be polite, Lord Li. Come, please take a seat!" Zhao Zongquan waved his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After Li An thanked the emperor, he stood aside with his hands hanging down, waiting for the eunuch to bring a soft stool. He thanked the emperor again and sat down.

"I am where I am today thanks to Lord Li and Princess Anyang who risked their lives to escort the blood edict." Zhao Zongquan said as he looked at Li An with a smile.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I only did what I should do. It was all thanks to Princess Anyang who sent the blood edict. I dare not take credit for it." Li An bowed.

Zhao Zongquan smiled and said, "I know the contributions of Princess Anyang, and I remember your contributions as well. By the way, where is the warrior who protected me? He blocked many cold arrows for me. If it weren't for him, I might not be able to enter the palace alive. I will reward him handsomely."

"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune, so you will naturally be able to turn danger into safety. That person is Shizhu, the son of my master. Although he knows some martial arts, he injured his head when he was a child. His intelligence is the same as that of a child of a few years old, and he only listens to me and his father. Your Majesty can reward him with some gold and silver, but if you give him an official position, he will definitely not be able to do it." Li An said.

"I see."

A hint of regret flashed in Zhao Zongquan's eyes when he heard this, as he had seen Shi Zhu's martial arts before.

Although the guards were by his side and he did not charge into battle, he dealt with the enemy troops that rushed over like cutting melons and vegetables.

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a mentally handicapped person.

Such a person is definitely useless. Who knows what he might do when he gets stupid.

"So, it was your man who protected me in the beginning?" Zhao Zongquan asked.

"Yes." Li An hesitated and nodded.

Zhao Zongquan looked at Li An with admiration and said with a smile: "In that case, I will reward him with a few imperial manors."

"I thank Your Majesty on his behalf!" Li An stood up and bowed.

"Sit down and talk."

Zhao Zongquan pressed his hand and said, "I remember all your contributions, but you have only been in office for a short time and lack the qualifications. If I promote you hastily, it will not be a good thing for you. You should hone your skills in the Hanlin Academy for two years first, and I will make arrangements for you when the time comes."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will do my best to serve the country." Li An said seriously.

Although he didn't know what Zhao Zongquan was up to, he had to show his loyalty at this time.

"Haha, I really have a headache right now. I wonder if Lord Li is willing to share my worries?" Zhao Zongquan said with a smile.

Li An secretly thought that it was coming. What happened next was the real purpose of Zhao Zongquan calling him here.

Then he stood up, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please give me your orders."

"Before my father died, he told me to make good arrangements for Princess Anyang. Princess Anyang is now of marriageable age. She is an orphan. I asked the Queen to arrange things for her, but she said she wanted to marry you." Zhao Zongquan said.

Li An had a bad feeling when he heard the previous words, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I have already started a family, and..."

"Eh~"

Zhao Zongquan waved his hand and said, "Father had this intention at the beginning, but he gave up because you had arranged the marriage. I originally thought that there were many talented people in Bianjing, and wanted the queen to choose a young talent for her, but the Princess of Anyang said that you escorted her out of the city and held her in your arms the whole time. Although it was an emergency, it also ruined her innocence. She would not marry anyone else except you, and would rather live alone until the end of her life."

"But the minister..."

"I know."

As soon as Li An opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Zhao Zongquan again.

"Since you are already married, I cannot force you to divorce. My idea is to let Princess Anyang be your co-wife." Zhao Zongquan said.

He did not lie about this matter. It was Ruichu herself who said she wanted to marry Li An.

However, he did not object. On the contrary, he was happy to make it happen.

The identity of Princess Anyang is somewhat embarrassing. She was only given the title of Princess Anyang because she sent the blood edict. It's just a nice title.

It is not suitable for marrying important officials in the court.

There is a fundamental difference between her, the county lord, and Princess Pingning.

Princess Pingning was originally the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family. Because her father had made great contributions and she was the only daughter, she was given the title of princess.

Even if she doesn't have the title of princess, she is still the legitimate daughter of a marquis.

It would be meaningless for Zhao Zongquan to marry someone from a lower social class.

Since she wants to marry Li Ang, then she can do it.

Zhao Zongquan also had doubts about Lee Ang at the beginning.

But he arranged for people to investigate carefully and found no problems.

Zhao Zongquan has a shallow foundation, but his military generals are okay. Whether it is Shen Congxing or Gu Tingye, they are both people who can be used.

But he didn't have any trusted civil officials.

Although the ministers in the court were very respectful to him on the surface, he did not trust them and still wanted to cultivate some of his own confidants.

Li An has good talents and he also has the merit of delivering the blood edict, so it is easy for him to be promoted.

(End of this chapter)