"Hibiscus Tent" 58

After a while, He Lin left the Hou Mansion.

The "unfeeling man" thought about taking a concubine for a moment, but after thinking about what he heard last night, he had to suppress his thoughts first.

So, the man dressed neatly, changed from his drunken appearance last night, knocked on the window and called Yin Zhong and Qin Yi in.

The guards immediately pushed open the door and entered.

Lu Jiuxiao asked Yin Zhong: "When the Baihe River burst its embankments, how were the families affected by the disaster resettled?"

He remembered that the imperial court allocated funds for disaster relief after the Baihe River burst its embankment, but based on his understanding of the Jinzhou magistrate, it would be good if half of the disaster relief funds were actually implemented.

As it happens, Yin Zhong received an urgent letter from Jinzhou last night.

This is exactly what the letter said.

There are two city gates in Jinzhou City, one in the east and one in the west. The further you go to the west of the city, the fewer the lanes and the deserted people, and the western suburbs of the city are even more desolate and cold.

The people affected by the disaster were resettled here, and several sheds with no shelter from wind or rain were built for people to live in.

The conditions were so bad that they were starving of food. On the day they left Jinzhou, a riot broke out in the west of Jinzhou City.

However, the prefect was a capable person and quickly suppressed the matter and pretended to be a bandit robbing the house.

Hearing this, Lu Jiuxiao asked: "Where is Li Qing?"

"I heard that Mr. Li was seriously ill, so Mr. Li went to Zhailu Temple to see him overnight."

Lu Jiuxiao raised the corner of his mouth, it was so deep brotherly love...

"You write a letter and ask the manager of the winery to open the bank and granary, and personally set up the tent and serve porridge."

Yin Zhong looked serious and reacted quickly.

"The louder the noise, the better."

"yes."

----------

That night, shacks were erected on the outskirts in the west of Jinzhou City, and a long queue formed.

The rioting people were quickly calmed down.

When the prefect of Jinzhou heard about this, he just thought that he had gotten a big deal. The ancestor of the Lu family was rich and he liked to be a good person, so he let him do it.

Within five days, the matter reached the ears of Emperor Xuanwu.

Looking up, a man in bright yellow robes stood proudly in front of the dragon chair, fluttering his sleeves and dropping a letter.

Li Qing stepped forward to pick it up with a livid face.

Emperor Xuanwu said: "I sent you to control the embankment collapse of Baihe River and let you supervise the disaster relief. It would be better for you to make the people starve and revolt!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It is not good for me to supervise you. I am guilty." He knelt down on his knees and touched the ground with his forehead.

But this could not dispel Emperor Xuanwu's anger. He hated to do harsh things in the name of the court and lose his reputation as a virtuous king.

Otherwise, he would not pretend to discuss with the courtiers about delaying support for southern Guizhou and act through the mouths of the courtiers.

But now, a man's failure in disaster relief has almost made him a foolish king who abuses the people!

Emperor Xuanwu slapped the table, "Qin Bin should be punished, and you should be punished too! Since you are unable to handle the Jinzhou matter, leave it to others. You go to Liangzhou to practice for half a year, and then return to Kyoto."

Li Qing gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

After the court ended, he stepped out of the Meridian Gate with a dark face.

Lu Jiuxiao is really capable. Such a damaging move turned the chessboard he had set up in Jinzhou into a mess.

Liangzhou...

What a horn pimple that is.

Just as the saying goes, whatever comes to mind, a carriage slowly stopped in front of him.

After a while, the peach blossom face that was very unkempt appeared in front of him. Li Qing restrainedly clenched his fists, nodded good-temperedly and said: "I have just gone to court. Prince Lu has entered the palace, but the fifth prince has obtained something very rare.

, have you been invited to share the reward?"

Lu Jiuxiao raised his eyebrows for a moment, with a look of surprise on his face, "Don't you know, Mr. Li?"

Li Qing frowned.

Just listen to Lu Jiuxiao slowly say: "Master Li's disaster relief efforts were not successful, but fortunately I came to help, and the Holy One called me into the palace, because I will reward you based on my merits."

Li Qing's chest felt tight.

Then he saw Lu Jiuxiao tapping his shoulder with the fan, "Master Li, there is no need to thank me. We have known each other since childhood, and we have the friendship of classmates. It should be, it should be."

Looking at that arrogant posture, Li Qing's jade-like expression finally showed some cracks.

As expected, when they arrived at Qianqing Palace, Emperor Xuanwu praised and rewarded Lu Jiuxiao.

He said: "Are you really unwilling to seek an official position in the government? What I said back then still works."

Lu Jiuxiao looked at the person in front of him, his eyes darkened deeply, but the corners of his mouth immediately raised.

He shook his head and refused, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

When he refused at first, it was because he really had no intention of going to court. Now he refuses again because he wants to avoid suspicion.

As He Lin said, Lu Xing's alienation, beatings and scoldings over the years were all intentional. He saw through the emperor's suspicion and ruthlessness. Today he favors you, and I hope you will believe him. If he doubts you in the future, he will kill you.

Who can guarantee that Emperor Xuanwu will never be suspicious of the Lu family with such a strong military force and a royal bloodline?

After some back and forth, he played a game of chess with Emperor Xuanwu before leaving the palace.

----------

At night, Li Guogong quietly sneaked into Kunning Palace.

He said angrily: "You heard about what happened today. Look, the Holy One already loved him, and now it's even more so. If we don't take action, what if he-"

"I told you not to worry, brother. Even if the Holy One wants to take him into the palace, how can it be easy? Now we are not prepared enough and we are rashly besieging the city. Do you know what the consequences will be! Wait, we must wait!"

Li Guogong had no choice but to remain silent and sit aside without saying a word.

After a while, he compromised and said: "Okay, I'll listen to you, just wait."

----------

When Lu Jiuxiao returned to Songyuan, the person who brought him the medicine cup was a coincidence.

Shen Shiting has always done this personally.

Therefore, the man frowned and asked, "Where is she?"

As luck would have it, he was not good at lying, so he scratched his forehead and said: "Miss Shen has abdominal pain, she has rested..."

To be fair, Miss Shen would come back from Lanyuan before Haishi. What happened today...

Are you still reluctant to go back?

Lu Jiuxiao glanced at her, "Really?"

The little chicken nodded like it was pecking at rice.

Lu Jiuxiao raised his head and drank the concoction, got up and went to the servant's room. When he opened the door, it was empty. There was no one with abdominal pain.

He looked sideways and asked again: "Where are the people?"

This time, I couldn't hide it even if I wanted to.

She hesitated and said: "Maybe he is in Lanyuan..."

Hearing this, the man hesitated for a moment, then turned his back towards Lan Yuan. Obviously, he didn't know when she met Lan Yuan.

At this time, there was no one in the garden of Lanyuan, and a few bright lamps were lit in the main house in the dark night.

Two girls were lying on the long table, one grinding ink and the other painting.

Seeing the two lifelike koi carps emerging from Shen Shitai's paintings, Lu Wan said happily: "I will present this painting to my mother-in-law tomorrow, and I will definitely be able to impress her."

Shen Shitiao smiled but said nothing.

Lu Wan added: "Did the snacks last time taste good? If you like them, I will send someone to buy them. My brother will definitely not buy these for anyone, and it is not easy for you to leave the house."

When he said this, a shadow happened to fall by the door.

Lu Jiuxiao twitched the corners of his mouth and looked at the two people inside.

Unfortunately, no one noticed.

When he walked in, Shen Shiting was putting the last touches on her words, and before she even uttered the word "good", her face froze.

She stood up suddenly and almost knocked over the inkstone on the table.

Why did he come back so early tonight...

Lu Wan followed her gaze and looked over, stood up quickly, swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva and said, "Brother..."

Lu Jiuxiao approached and glanced down at the painting on the table. The painting showed a spring scene, a lotus pond in a small courtyard, lotus roots in full bloom, and koi carps jumping for joy. It was very lifelike.

He curled his lips and looked at Lu Wan, "You can do it. Find someone to do the painting for you."

After being caught, Lu Wan had no choice but to plead: "Don't tell my mother-in-law, okay, brother..."

Lu Jiuxiao ignored her and turned to look at the little girl who lowered her head and said nothing, as if he thought he couldn't see her because she lowered her head.

The man sneered, "How many paintings did you draw for her?"

Shen Shitiao raised his eyes and muttered: "This is the one."

"Let's talk again."

"...Three pictures."

Lu Wan closed her eyes in despair.

Lu Jiuxiao said with a half-smile but not a smile: "When she asks you to draw, just do it. You are quite easy to control."

The word "call" made Shen Shiting startled for a moment. For fear of ruining the friendship between his brother and sister, she quickly pointed to the guqin in the corner and said, "No, I painted for the second girl, and she taught me the guqin."

Lu Jiuxiao narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced between the two of her.

Finally, his eyes fell on Shen Shiting, "Let's go."

After that, he turned and left.

Shen Shitai paused for a moment, and Lu Wan hurriedly grabbed her sleeve, "If my mother-in-law finds out, I will be dead. Can you please beg him for me?"

Under the girl's earnest eyes, Shen Shiting nodded his head twice in embarrassment.

Even if she asks, she may not be able to get it.

Therefore, she looked at Lu Wan with pity.

Returning to Songyuan, Shen Shiting followed him and hesitated at the intersection between the servant room and the main house.

She clenched her cheeks slightly, gritted her teeth and called him, "Your Majesty."

Lu Jiuxiao turned around.

Shen Shitai looked at his face and said with a guilty conscience: "I will never paint for the second girl again. Tonight...can you pretend you didn't see me?"

Lu Jiuxiao glanced at her, sighed and said, "Go if you want to."

He glanced at her hands and said, "Don't draw too much."

It can only be said that as soon as the idea of ​​concubinage emerged, it immediately took root in the soil and sprouted.

In this case, there is nothing wrong with letting her walk around more with Lu Wan.

Looking at the little girl's startled face, he took her wrist and walked into the house, "You're tired, go back to sleep."

It was only when the door was closed that Shen Shiting realized something was wrong.

She broke away from Lu Jiuxiao's hand and said, "It just so happened that he was still waiting for me in the room..."

"Why, she can't sleep without you?"

Shen Shitiao choked, that's not the case.

She could only say seriously: "People will see it."

Staring at each other, Lu Jiuxiao raised one corner of his mouth, without saying a word, turned his back and walked straight to the pear tree shelf, taking off his thin shirt.

That probably means: Go ahead, if you dare, give it a try.

That look was very scary.

The little girl sighed slightly in her heart, and finally understood what "people have to bow their heads when they are under the eaves", so she had no choice but to follow him.

He took the thin shirt in his hand and hung it on the pear wood shelf on tiptoes.

Lu Jiuxiao ignored her and lay down first.

After a long while, there was a rustling movement from the end of the bed, a corner of the quilt was lifted, and the body suddenly sank.

Lu Jiuxiao turned sideways and waited for a long time, but before he could see her move, he couldn't help but frown. So he turned around and saw the little girl holding a corner of the quilt and lying on her back, as if she planned to rest like this.

The man's mouth twitched slightly.

She managed to go to Lanyuan to make it easy for him to find him, and she repeatedly refused to sleep with him. Now that he was so obviously unhappy, didn't she know how to coax him?
Chapter completed!