Xu Ziling stood far away from Chen Changlin and only paid attention to the changes around Wang Shichong. Although he could not change his height, he deliberately tied a red warrior scarf on his head. The warrior uniform on his body also made him look bloated. Unless you are interested, you should watch. There was no clue, especially since all parties thought he had left the city long ago.
However, he could not feel relieved until Li Shimin and Tu Li came to deal with Wang Shichong, because even Li Jing who was beside Li Shimin only glanced at him and stopped paying attention to him.
He didn't pay attention to where they were, and he wasn't worried that Shen Luoyan would launch an attack at this time. Lang Feng was responsible for setting up checkpoints on all roads leading to Rongfu. If the enemy attacked in large numbers, they would only be met with a head-on attack.
Since Ke Feng's information Shen Luoyan would definitely plan to assassinate Wang Shichong on his way back to the imperial city, so it was the safest place to be at the banquet venue.
After chatting for a few words, this group of political and military strategists and wealthy people who control the lives and deaths of all people started talking about currency issues, which shows that this is actually an important issue related to the people's livelihood and economy in the world.
I only heard someone say: Nowadays, everyone makes private coins to replace the old five-baht coins, but the new coins are of poor quality and the prices of rice, cloth and other daily necessities have soared, leaving people helpless.
Wang Shichong said: If the coins come from official furnaces, there is absolutely no problem with their quality; the problem lies in the poor quality of the coins from private furnaces. Even the words on the money are blurred and can only be seen as an outline.
Changsun Wuji, who was next to Li Shimin, sighed: Official furnace money has caused another problem. Since the Han Dynasty, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, mercury and other minerals have gradually been owned by the government. However, in order to ensure that there was enough baht money circulating in the market, the old dynasty had to maintain Therefore, a large number of mines must be mined due to their high quality. Yang Guang once opened more than 20 gold mines in 12 counties including Wuling. Six hundred thousand soldiers were killed and injured, but only more than 50 taels of gold were mined. Hundreds of miles of wasteland were mined. When an official becomes a thief who kills the people, he sees the harm before seeing the benefits.
Xu Ziling frowned when he heard this. He was sure that Kou Zhong had never thought about this matter. Only people like Wang Shichong and Li Shimin who had been in charge of politics for a long time would think about this issue. Changsun Wuji lived up to his reputation as a wise man. The words make people think deeply.
He also noticed that Tuli also listened very carefully. A flash of light flashed in his mind, and he realized why the Turks only invaded through the sergeants under his control. It was because it was beyond the ability of a people who started out as nomads to manage such a vast land. Competent. Therefore, on the one hand, the Turks plundered the property and children of the Central Plains, and on the other hand, they supported the capable rebels.
Li Shimin interjected: The so-called new coins now are nothing more than melting down and recasting the five-baht coins from the old dynasty; while the bad folk coins are made by adding other iron impurities to the melted five-baht coins to make a penny. It can be turned into a few pennies and banned even more when it is profitable. The only solution is to reunite the world and put an end to this trend through a strong and powerful central government. In the current situation, no one can do anything.
Xu Ziling felt admiration in his heart when he heard this. If Kou Zhong had not been his brother, he would have chosen Li Shimin as the future monarch to rule the people.
The thought made him feel very uncomfortable.
No matter who wins and who loses the other two, Li and Kou will only be killed. How will this end?
※※※
Kou Zhong also wanted to make fun of this Qiuci beauty who had always been cold to him, but he didn't know that she had left gracefully. Fuqian, Xing Mofei and the two Tuguhun beauties came to greet him, but he didn't know if Linglongjiao left to avoid them. After Fu Qian introduced them, they found out that the taller of the two girls was named Li An and the other was Hua Na. They were both full of exotic charm and possessed the rare wildness and boldness of Chinese beauties. When they looked at Kou Zhong, they were more unscrupulous than he looked at them.
Especially Hana's wavy chestnut hair, draped over her shoulders so naturally and freely, her pink lips, her beautiful brown eyes tilted upward, her high cheekbones, silky eyebrows, and her warm, soft and elastic skin. In addition, the seductive charm between her eyebrows becomes more and more interesting the more she looks at her. She is no less beautiful than Shen Luoyan and Song Yuzhi.
Kou Zhong didn't know what the relationship between the two women and Fu Qian was, so he avoided the provocative eyes of the two women and smiled at Fu Qian:
It’s not a good time to do anything tonight!
Fu Qian's eyes scanned the entire audience and finally settled on the group of Li Shimin, Tu Li, Wang Shichong, and Rong Fengxiang, who responded casually:
You can do it wherever you want, and Boss Rong probably won't mind. But this is my first time attending your Han feast, and I don't want to ruin the peaceful and lively atmosphere.
Kou Zhong felt that his casual words seemed to have other hints and said with a mysterious smile: So if he is on the ring or in a place where there is continuous war, the prince can show his talents. Right?
Fu Qian smiled slightly and said: Who is that person next to Li Shimin who is looking at you?
Kou Zhong looked at it and smiled bitterly: This man's name is Li Jingnai, the husband-in-law of Hongfu's daughter.
Fu Qiantou said: This person is indeed extraordinary. No wonder Hong Fu Nu has such wise eyes. Why didn't Hong Fu Nu come?
Hua Na smiled tenderly and said: Prince He Bazhi asked him? The slave family guessed that he was coming!
Her pronunciation is not pure or harmonious, but it has a funny flavor.
As expected, Li Jing walked towards them slowly, his steps were steady and powerful, and he had the tendency to press forward.
Fu Qian praised him and said: This man can be a general and prime minister.
Kou Zhong said in astonishment: "Prince, can you tell just by looking at it? What about Li Shimin?"
Fu Qian said lightly: I am the best at observing people in subtle ways. When he saw that we were talking about him, he not only showed no signs of uneasiness but took the initiative to meet us, and was full of confidence in his steps. It can be seen that he is a courageous and promising person, not an ordinary person. .
Xing Mofei interjected: The person Li Shimin is willing to reuse shouldn't be so bad.
At this time, Li Jing came to the five people and saluted: "Li Jing has met Prince Fuqian."
Then he looked at Kou Zhong and said, "Can you lend me a few words?"
Fu Qian laughed and said: Brother Li, can you answer a question for me first?
Li Jing met Fu Qian's eyes as sharp as an arrow without squinting and said calmly: "Prince, please give me a question."
Fu Qian looked up to the sky and smiled, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, and then said loudly: If your lord is lucky enough to win the world, will you show off your great achievements to the Western Regions and expand your territory like Yang Guang?
The hall immediately became silent and even the maids serving the guests stopped moving. The only sound left was the lingering music, which showed the intimidating effect of these few words.
Kou Zhong secretly yelled, "Even if it's sudden and powerful, Wang Shichong would listen attentively to see how Li Jing would respond."
This question should have been answered most appropriately by Li Shimin himself. But the problem is that Li Shimin is not the prince. If he rushes to answer, it will be clear that he will compete with his brother Li Jiancheng for the right to inherit the throne.
Moreover, this involves Li Shimin's ambition. Li Jing's answer or no answer is equally inappropriate. If his words are evasive, it will only make Fu Qian look down on him.
Fu Qian finally made a move to test.
Li Jing calmly smiled and said: No matter who conquers the world, he should understand that the difference between Han and Hu is due to the differences in regional customs and customs. The master only needs to be virtuous and does not have to be suspicious of the aliens; But even if the whole family is suspicious of the flesh and blood, it is inevitable that they will become enemies. Does Prince Fu think so?
Everyone listened to these words with heartfelt approval.
Fu Qian laughed again and shouted three times before he lowered his voice and said happily to Li and Kou: "You two, please help yourself!"
※※※
Kou Zhong and Li Jing walked around the banquet and left the hall from the side door to the stone railing of the verandah built next to the hall.
Although the heavy rain this morning has stopped, the weather has not improved yet. The stars and moon are dim. Outside the fence is a fish pond with rockery mountains piled up. Peonies are planted all over the pond, but due to the heavy rain, their petals are left floating on the surface of the pond and drifting with the water.
Li Jing said in a deep voice: Where did Ling go out of the city last night?
Kou Zhong wanted to ridicule whether he sent people to monitor the entrance and exit of the city gate for twelve hours, but after thinking about it, Zeng Zeng, a brother, calmed down and said: He went to find a friend because of an urgent matter.
Li Jing sighed and said: Alas! Why did it get into such a difficult situation?
Kou Zhong stared at the fish swimming in the pond and said calmly: "Well done! Yesterday I sent my sister-in-law to sweep them away with a red whisk that even cost her her life."
Li Jing was shocked and looked at him and said: What?
Kou Zhong shrugged and said, "Nothing? I wouldn't blame her for this. Isn't it called loving her husband?"
Li Jing was speechless for a long time before he finally said something unspeakable: When will you return to the south?
Kou Zhong showed a bitter and bitter expression. Whenever he thought of the unfortunate Sister Su, he felt that all his achievements were empty and unreal, with nothing to show off. He was helpless and had no place to complain. He said, "Don't bother with Sister Su's affairs anymore."
? Now we don't even have the energy to blame you.
Li Jingse changed his mind: What happened? You always have a sluggish and dejected look tonight.
Kou Zhongsi thought about it for a long time and was about to burst into tears. He gritted his teeth and waved his hands before leaving.
Li Jing grabbed his arm and shouted: What happened?
Kou Zhong sobbed: "Sister Su's biggest mistake in her life is to know the three of us. Is that enough?" She shook off his grasp and staggered into the hall.
※※※
Kou Zhong just rushed into the hall and bumped into someone. He grabbed him and said: I was looking for you!
Kou Zhong, who was in the mood to accompany others, said angrily: "Brother Hou, what are you doing?"
It is the passionate young master Hou Xibai.
Li Jing, who chased after him, sighed and walked away sadly when he saw him talking to others.
Other guests began to sit down, and only Li Shimin, Wang Shichong and other groups were still chatting and laughing.
Rong Fengxiang and Fu Qian exchanged pleasantries in a lively atmosphere.
Yun Yuzhen also came and chatted with Song Lu and Liu Jing. The new guests included Bai Qing'er, Zheng Shuming and Zheng Shiru.
The band paused to play, the sound of firecrackers, the banter of drinks and laughter, and the shouts of boys and girls playing constantly came from the front two halls and the back garden. Compared to the inner hall, the atmosphere was much more serious.
Hou Xibai pulled Kou Zhong into a corner and asked in a low voice: Where is Brother Ziling? Why doesn't he come to join in the fun? I saw Feixuan yesterday and she has already solved the problem of He Shibi.
Kou Zhongdao: "Ling, he has something to do and he can't come. What's the matter with you?"
Hou Xibai's handsome eyes glanced at Dong Shuni and Rong Jiaojiao, who had already taken their seats and were sitting side by side. The seat was located in one of the four chairpersons of the Central Committee. It was almost full of people, including the two brothers Wang Xuanying and Wang Xuanshu. All of them were grabbed by the younger generation.
He tried to show his attentiveness to the two women, but the eyes of the two women would drift towards Kou Zhong and Hou Xibai from time to time, showing that they were very interested in them.
Hou Xibai said: Did Brother Fenghan and Brother Ziling mention to you that I had followed the enchantress of the Yingui sect?
Only then did Kou Zhong remember that Xu Ziling had told him before, and he managed to pull himself together and said, "How is it? Who is it?"
Hou Xibai came closer and said, "That's the stunning beauty wearing Yunnan batik. She was the only one in the audience who wore such clothes, and she looked very pushy."
Kou Zhong never pays much attention to what a girl wears. He only intuitively feels whether she looks good-looking. He frowned and said, "You are an expert on girls but I know nothing about it. Can you not be so profound?"
Hou Xibai laughed dumbly and said: It's not convenient for me to point her out because all the young women in the audience are staring at us. The characteristic of batik is that during the dip-dying process, the wax corners are cracked and the dye seeps along the cracks and turns into thousands of different ice shapes.
The pattern changes are natural and have no fixed pattern, and the color tone is elegant and ever-changing.
Only then did Kou Zhong realize that Dong Shuni's colorful clothes looked exactly like that. He was shocked and said: "Aren't you that unruly girl wearing blue and red clothes?"
Hou Xibai said happily: "Brother Kou, it turns out immediately that this is this woman. You can't be wrong about who she is?"
Kou Zhong took a breath and said: It's unexpected that it's not Rong Jiaojiao but her. However, her light body skills are indeed very good, but she didn't know that she is also well versed in martial arts.
Hou Xibai urged: Who is she?
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: She is Wang Shichong's niece, but she should not be a witch from the Yingui sect.
I thought to myself that I had a romantic relationship with her. The brilliant thing about this woman is that she thinks she is good at qinggong but her martial arts is ordinary, but they never doubted her words because she really had no reason to lie.
Hou Xibai said in astonishment: Are you sure?
Kou Zhongdao: If she was really a witch from the Yingui sect, Ling and I would have been finished by now! How could we talk to you here?
Rong Fengxiang's laughter interrupted everyone's conversation, and then he greeted the guests to their seats cordially.