After coming out of the palace, Liu Ling kept thinking about what Emperor Xiao said. He smiled in his heart and said to himself: "My second brother, if you say he is a disaster victim, then he is a disaster victim."
Then he thought that the envoys of the Liao Kingdom would come to accept the annual tribute in a while, and he sneered in his heart. Daliao, huh, the annual tribute can be collected for you, but I'm afraid you won't be able to take away a single copper by then!
He walked out of the palace, and Zhao Er was waiting for him with several guards. Liu Ling jumped on the horse, waved his hand and said, "Let's go back to the house."
Zhao Erdao: "Your Majesty, just now the servant in Prime Minister Lu's house secretly sent a message that Master Lu is waiting for you at Juxian Tower."
Liu Ling's eyes lit up, and then he waved his riding crop and shouted softly: "Let's go!"
Liu Ling originally enjoyed the privilege of riding a horse in the Forbidden Palace and going to the palace with a sword, but this thing was just an expression of trust given to him by the emperor. Liu Ling was not stupid enough to really dare to ride a horse and wield a sword in the Forbidden Palace. He did not directly
Instead of going to Juxian Tower, he returned to Prince Zhong’s mansion first.
After returning to the palace, Liu Ling asked about Wang Xiaoniu's condition. The soldier who had suffered so much had not yet woken up, but his condition had improved a bit. On the other hand, the scholar Zhou Yangong, who was kidnapped by Yue Qilin, had recovered his physical strength, although he had not recovered.
They made a lot of noise, but this guy was also a wonderful person. He kept shouting that he was hungry and thirsty, as if Prince Zhong's mansion was an inn.
Liu Ling laughed it off and ignored it. He changed into casual clothes and didn't bring many followers. He only asked Zhao Er to bring two guards. Then he called Xiao Nizi Liu Mei'er, and a group of five people walked out from the back door of the palace.
I walked towards Juxian Building.
Juxianlou is the oldest restaurant in Taiyuan City. The owner's surname is Guo, and his name is Guo Zhenghui. He is about forty years old and has a Chinese character face, which is quite handsome. It is said that he is a descendant of the famous Tang Dynasty general Guo Ziyi, but
Whether this is actually the case is unknown.
The age of this Juxian Tower is much older than that of the Northern Han Dynasty. The Northern Han Dynasty has only been more than twenty years since Liu Ye founded the country, and this Juxian Tower is said to have a history of no less than a hundred years. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and various places
There are constant beacons and wars are going on everywhere. Juxian Tower can survive in troubled times, which shows that the Guo family really has a certain foundation.
Juxian Building is a two-story wooden structure building. Although it has gone through a hundred years, it is still very stable. There are mottled marks on the pillars and the old plaque with the three characters of Juxian Building written on it.
It can all be confirmed from one aspect that this store has indeed withstood the storm for a long time.
Outside the door, a kid dressed in short clothes with a towel on his shoulders greeted the guests enthusiastically. There are actually no well-known cuisines in Shanxi, Shaanxi, but the main specialty of Juxian Restaurant is Sichuan cuisine. Liu Ling likes Sichuan cuisine very much.
It has a fresh, sweet and spicy taste, because it reminds him of his previous life. You must know that in his previous life, his father was a famous Sichuan cuisine master.
"A few of our regular guests, I haven't seen you here for a while."
The waiter came up to me with a bright smile.
After working in Juxian Building for a long time, the waiter of this store has long developed a pair of sharp eyes for seeing people. Although Liu Ling and others are dressed casually, the aura of a superior person in Liu Ling is still difficult to hide. The waiter of the store has seen countless people.
, one can tell at a glance that these people have great identities.
"There are private seats upstairs. How many distinguished guests can you lead up there?"
The waiter said with a flattering look.
Zhao Er waved his hand and said: "The position has been decided, and the purple energy will come from the east."
The waiter called out: "Okay, you guys come with me."
Liu Lingju stepped into the Juxian Building, and the first thing he saw was a wooden sculpture placed directly north of the hall. This wooden sculpture was obviously old, but it was still lifelike. The wooden sculpture was about one meter long, with well-proportioned proportions, and it looked like
It was the work of a certain master sculptor.
There is also a couplet carved next to the wood carving, with the calligraphy of dragons and phoenixes dancing. The first couplet is: The power is overwhelming to the world and the government does not guard against it. The second couplet is: The merits of a generation are not in doubt. The four characters of "Hengbi" mean loyalty to the military and the protection of the country.
When Liu Ling saw the pair, he knew that the wooden carving he was offering must be that of Guo Ziyi. Guo Ziyi was a famous general in the mid-Tang Dynasty. He used martial arts to recruit people into official positions and join the army. He accumulated military merits to the point where he was the prefect of Jiuyuan, and the military envoy of Shuofang Jiedu. The Anshi Rebellion
After the outbreak, he was appointed as the governor of Shuofang. He led his army to conquer Luoyang and Chang'an, which were the first achievements in quelling the rebellion. In the later Jin Dynasty, he was appointed Zhongshu Ling and was granted the title of Prince of Fenyang County.
Liu Ling had some knowledge of Guo Ziyi in his previous life, and he also had great admiration for this famous general of the Tang Dynasty who turned the tide.
After looking at the statue of Guo Ziyi carefully for a few more times, Liu Ling stepped up the stairs. The waiter in the shop led the way and said as he walked: "The one enshrining there is the ancestor of our shopkeeper, Zhongwu Gong Wang Guo of Fenyang County.
Old Master, that is a very famous general, he has never been defeated once in his life."
Liu Ling smiled and laughed off the waiter's watery words.
After going up to the second floor and arriving at the private room where Zi Qidong came, the waiter stopped there and bent down to invite Liu Ling in. Two guards stood on the left and right at the door, while Zhao Er and Liu Meier found a
The seat was taken.
As soon as Liu Ling entered the door, the old prime minister Lu Sen stood up and greeted him.
"I have met Prince Zhong."
Lu Sen bent down and was about to salute, but Liu Ling grabbed him. Liu Ling laughed and said: "Master Lu, this is not a court, so this common courtesy should be dispensed with. Besides, if I want to bow today, I should treat it as Liu Ling's thanks.
Mr. Lu’s full support.”
Lu Sen said: "I'm ashamed. Lu is also a subject of my Han Dynasty. Prince Zhong must not say that."
Liu Ling chuckled and said, "You and I, please don't be so polite. I wonder why Mr. Lu came to see me?"
Lu Sen gently sat Liu Ling down, poured a glass of wine for Liu Ling, sighed, looked up at Liu Ling, then sighed again, and stopped talking.
Liu Ling saw Lu Sen's expression very funny. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip and asked, "Does Master Lu have something to hide?"
Lu Sen opened his mouth and sighed again.
"Forget it, Prince Zhong, let's talk about business first."
Lu Sen toasted Liu Ling with a glass of wine and said: "After the morning court, people from the Ministry of Punishments raided the home of Lu Ming, the minister of the Ministry of Rites."
Lu Sen took out a list from his clothes and handed it to Liu Ling and said, "This is the list of inspections of Lu Ming's house. Prince Zhong will take a look at it."
Seeing Lu Sen's serious expression, Liu Ling looked over the list results and asked, "Is there something fishy?"
Lu Sen sighed: "Your Majesty will understand after reading it."
Liu Ling nodded, spread out the list and looked at it. After reading only two or three lines, he couldn't help but take a breath! There is indeed something fishy about this Lu Ming!
One thousand two hundred taels of gold, three thousand guan of money. Eighteen Eastern beads, two cat's eye stones, and a three-foot coral tree...
Liu Ling was shocked. Just these figures were far beyond what Liu Ling could own. Liu Ling's was a prince, but his whole family could not afford one-tenth of the property on the list. Lu Ming was a fourth-grade person.
The monthly salary of a minister is only twenty guan, and even if he were an official for five lifetimes, he would definitely not be able to accumulate so much money.
Liu Ling finished reading the list and already had some calculations in his mind. He turned to Lu Sen and asked, "Is there any letter?"
Lu Sen praised: "Your Majesty is wise and thought of this right away."
He took out a stack of letters from his sleeve robe and handed them to Liu Ling. There were more than a dozen letters. These letters were all written in brocade, so they were not very heavy. This kind of brocade was difficult to see in ordinary people's homes.
.
Liu Ling took the letter and did not read it in a hurry. Instead, he put it on the table and asked Lu Sen first: "I think Mr. Lu has already read it. This letter should not be from the north. Could it be... from the west?"
Lu Sen's face changed color, and he clasped his fists and said, "I admire you! Your Majesty, you haven't read these letters yet. How did you infer that they came from the west?"
Liu Ling chuckled and said: "Ye Luxiongji, the leader of the Liao Kingdom, has a very high opinion of himself. This man regards our country of Han as nothing. He thinks that his cavalry can destroy our country of Han without much effort by going south. It is true that the Liao Kingdom controls the strings.
There are no less than 500,000 or 600,000 soldiers. It is not an exaggeration to say that there are millions of soldiers if the whole country is used. Therefore, there is no need for the Liao Kingdom to spend so much money to bribe spies. This is not the case in the west. King Yuanhao of Xixia is a powerful hero in the world.
, Xixia has just been founded, and it is time to show its ambitions."
He paused and said: "In terms of national strength, Xixia has only been established for less than five years and has insufficient foundation. However, it has no less than 500,000 troops, and its national strength is far greater than that of our Han Dynasty. The Liao Kingdom in the north, the Later Zhou Dynasty in the south, plus
Among the three countries that Xixia faces, I am the weakest. If Yuan Hao wants to expand his territory, I am afraid he will be the first to attack me."
Lu Sen said: "Your Majesty has already understood the matter in his mind without reading the letter, and I admire him. This power of inference is beyond my reach. But, what do you think of this matter?"
Liu Ling sighed: "I will keep this letter first, and I will present it to His Majesty the Emperor later. Unfortunately, if he had known that there was such a relationship, Lu Ming's death would have been easier."
Lu Sen said: "Your Majesty, these letters mentioned a person many times, and Lu Ming was told to consult this person if he had anything to do. This person should be sent by Xixia to make a detailed plan, but the letter never mentioned who this person was. It did.
When we arrived at the place where Lu Ming and the Xixia man met, it was... a place of romance."
"oh?"
Liu Ling raised his eyebrows and asked: "A romantic place?"
Lu Sen nodded and said: "Exactly, the letter mentioned that if there is news, just ask Lu Ming to deliver it to the world of Xianyuan."
"The world of immortality?"
Liu Ling was very unfamiliar with this kind of place, and had never noticed that there was such a romantic place in Taiyuan City. Lu Sen saw that Liu Ling looked confused, he stood up and walked to the back window. He stretched out his hand to open the back window and stretched out his hand.
Pointing his finger, he said: "Your Majesty, this world of immortality is right here!"
Liu Ling walked over and took a look, and saw that the Immortal World was also a two-story wooden building. Because during the mourning period of the late emperor, this place was not decorated with red and colorful decorations like in the past. Because the Eight Inspection Department and the two Yamen of Taiyuan Mansion were both
A strict order was issued that no brothel establishments were allowed to operate during the mourning period. The main door of the Immortal World was closed tightly, with a sign saying it was temporarily closed. The side door was open, and occasionally people came in and out.
"Here?"
Liu Ling said with a smile: "These Xixia people are very good at choosing places. Brothels and restaurants, these two places have the highest turnover of people. Even if there are strangers coming in and out, they will not attract attention."
Lu Sen nodded and said: "Your Majesty, what worries me is... Now that the new emperor of the Han Dynasty has ascended the throne, it is also a year of disaster. Envoys from the Liao Kingdom are about to come to collect tribute, which can be described as internal and external troubles. Xixia bribed Lu Ming, these
I think Xixia already understands everything. I am worried that...Xixia will take advantage of it!"
Liu Ling nodded and stared in the direction of Xianyuan Human World, frowning. (To be continued)
