It is already the twelfth lunar month, and the New Year is approaching. All over the country, the female relatives of wealthy families are busy organizing annual events and arranging performances and banquets. The favorite concubine of the King of Qi, Ma Shi, is a mute and does not go out much. She only likes to go to temples to worship Buddha. On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month
On the fifth day, she took the eunuchs and nuns out of the city to burn incense at Puzhao Temple.
In the past, when ladies offered incense, they had to clear away tourists. Madam Ma did not like to disturb the people, so she only came quietly every time and left after worshiping the Buddha. It is the same today. Pilgrims who often come to Puzhao Temple all know it, or stay away from it.
Or kneeling aside. The presiding master led a group of monks to come out, and followed the old tradition to accompany Ma Niangniang to the main hall to worship the Buddha. He also paid obeisance to the Bodhisattvas and Arhats, and then went to the side hall to sit and have tea. Ma Niangniang was a little sleepy, so the monks withdrew.
Already.
The maid, the maid, was waiting for Madam Ma to wash her face. Suddenly, she saw the door curtain lifted, and a man walked in. The maid shouted: "How brave! How dare you trespass into the place where Madam Ma rests."
The man smiled and cupped his hands: "Excuse me, mama, please step aside. I have something I want to ask you for help with." Then he waved to Ma Ma, "Hello, Miss Ma. It's been so long, I don't remember how we met."
Have we ever met... Oh, I think we met once on the street. I am the fat young man you wanted to send Uncle Zhou and Fatty Aunt to assassinate more than ten years ago. You are so smart, and that matter is very important to you.
You should remember me." Ma Niangniang's face suddenly changed.
Mammy looked at Ma Niangniang and the man, and scolded: "If you don't get out, I'll call someone to beat you!"
"Why don't you, a nanny, even wink at all?" the man said innocently, "It's obvious that I hold your mother's hand in my hands. At this time, you should lead people out quickly and watch the outside so that no one can eavesdrop. I am not you.
We are from the State of Qi, let alone one of the sons of the King of Qi. I know that your mother-in-law has nothing to do with it. Isn’t this a price negotiation? If your prince’s people find out, it will be difficult for your mother-in-law.”
Grandma said angrily: "Rogue!"
The man spread his hands and said, "Yes, just a rogue, whatever."
Madam Ma was no longer what she used to be, and she waved her hand towards Grandma. Grandma immediately led the man out without saying a word. Madam Ma stood up and said a blessing to the man, and the man returned the gesture. Empress Ma raised her pen and wrote.
It was written on the desk: "Prince Jia, you are well."
This man is Jia Cong, who is just a little fat now. He said with a smile: "Miss Qu San, you are fine."
Ma Niangniang's expression remained calm. "Prince Jia is so brave."
"Thank you for the compliment." Jia Cong casually sat down in front of her and said, "It's inconvenient for your Majesty to speak, so let's not be polite. Does your Majesty know a monk named Jianru who came from the Kingdom of Wu?"
Ma Niangniang was slightly startled and wrote: "I do not associate with monks from other countries."
"This monk is unusual." Jia Cong said, "He and a eunuch are both messengers, and they are ordered to deliver the blood letters of the former King Wu to the princes of various countries. The King of Qi also got it. Don't say that Madam Ma didn't know."
Ma Niangniang wrote: "The prince has never discussed this matter with me."
"The intention of King Wu was to use his letter as a guide to get all the kings to join forces to deal with me. I never thought that even you, King Qi, would have no intention of taking action. It forced two people who originally only needed to deliver the letter, because they didn't want to
I am willing to see my master's hard work go to waste and have to do things on my own. But how can they deal with me? So someone induced Jian Ru to think of a bad idea, a very bad idea. I am very angry, very angry, very angry." Jia Conglong
He bared his teeth, raised the corners of his mouth into a fake smile, and said with serious eyes, "I want to know who seduced that fat monk."
Ma Niangniang was startled and raised her pen: "I don't know any of this."
Jia Cong shrugged: "Then it's none of my business. I can remind you that Monk Jianru is very protective of that person. Since he has nothing to do with Qi State, there is a high possibility that it is a woman."
Ma Niangniang thought for a moment and wrote: "That person is a monk, and he has no intention of having a relationship with a woman."
Jia Cong raised his eyebrows and said, "Your Majesty, are you kidding me? A eunuch would die for his lover, let alone a monk? A man's heart only takes a moment to fall in love with a woman, but a monk is more innocent." He stood up and cupped his hands and said, "I'll leave this to your Majesty.
I'll come back to ask your Majesty for the results after the new year. I heard that King Qi's Lao Wu has made your Majesty your mother. Congratulations to your Majesty. If the prince knows the story of your Majesty's early years in the State of Chen, he will definitely be very interested." After saying this, he turned around and left.
, without looking at Ma Niangniang.
Ma Niangniang was angry and anxious, but she couldn't do anything about her shortcomings in his hands, and she couldn't speak yet. She watched Jia Cong walk out like no one, and the mothers and eunuchs came in immediately to ask. Ma Niangniang shook her head and pointed to the shelf.
The candlestick. Everyone saw her writing and hurriedly took the candlestick and lit it. Ma Niangniang put the piece of paper she had written on on the candle and burned it, and sat in a daze. She was usually very dignified, and there was no one next to her.
Dare to say anything. After half an hour, Madam Ma's face softened a little, and she sat upright. Her confidant, Nanny, stepped forward and whispered back: "Madam, when we went out just now... all the guards were knocked unconscious." Madam Ma
She was slightly startled, then a look of confusion flashed in her eyes, and she motioned for someone to help her stand up.
Not long after, Madam Ma returned to the palace, and there was a commotion at the entrance of Puzhao Temple. A green-covered carriage was parked across the street, and the curtain of the carriage was opened through a slit. Two heads were squeezed up and down in front of the slit to peek. It was Jia Cong and Liu.
Xiaoqi and two.
Liu Xiaoqi clicked her tongue twice: "This woman is quite legendary."
Jia Cong was lying down, looking up and looking down at him: "Legend? We arrange it every time. Otherwise, she can be so easy to be a prince and a prince. She is not the only one who is beautiful."
Liu Xiaoqi said: "She is so beautiful that she is very rare. If she were not mute, she would be able to control the government if she met an unknown king. Hey, are you sure you have something to do with her?"
"I didn't have it before I came here. Now I have it." Jia Cong said, "The one who makes Monk Jianru willing to take the blame himself and protect him is probably a woman who makes his heart beat. Jianru is a monk who doesn't know much about his business. He uses beautiful women
It's not difficult to set a trap for him. What's more, in recent years, Qi's population has flowed to Yan in large numbers, and it would be most beneficial to carry out terrorist attacks on Qi in Yan. The remaining 10% may be his lay relatives, and the other 10% may be benefactors. The latter two are too
It happens by chance, I always believe more in inevitability."
At this moment, Madam Ma had already boarded the sedan, and Liu Xiaoqi moved away from the car curtain and said with a smile, "It's just that you have to calculate a few possibilities when you want to do something."
Jia Cong spread his hands: "There are all kinds of possibilities." He paused, "Ma just said that Jianru is a monk and has nothing to do with women, which means he is trying to evade others. She must know about it."
Liu Xiaoqi nodded: "These words may seem casual, but I am actually standing over there."
"What's more, Ma's nature is vicious, and her best friend Ding Chu is now working as an aide under her godson Lao Wu."
Liu Xiaoqi suddenly smiled and said: "If Lao Wu comes to power, wouldn't these two become Zhao Ji and Lu Buwei?"
"Can you focus on the key points?" Jia Cong twitched the corner of his mouth, "The success of Empress Dowager Shen of Wu State in the past year will greatly inspire Ma and her godson. For the sake of Qi State, they are likely to incite Jianru to do evil."
Liu Xiaoqi thought for a long time: "If this is the case, the prince of Qi will not be able to escape suspicion."
Jia Cong leaned his back against the wall of the carriage: "Whatever, let Madam Ma find her own way. It's the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month and hurry back. My wife is a pregnant woman and needs the most care."
"Oh, there's something I forgot to ask you." Liu Xiaoqi said, "Last time you asked me to coax Eunuch Guo, why do you think that your wife can't have a son? Eunuch Guo has served the King of Wu for many years, but he is not Who is the person next to any concubine?"
Jia Cong said: "The former King of Wu used to appoint people based on their family background. If I am a prince, I am the first class, and if I am an official, I am the second class. Zhang Yuan has been an official in Wu since before the world was enfeoffed, and he also served as a so-called official for the former king of Wu. After many years of lag and outstanding political achievements, he could not be reused. After all, it was because his father, Zhang Youshi, was just a doctor. Therefore, the identity of Eunuch Guo as a eunuch determined that the King of the First Wu would not let him know much about political affairs. And everyone knew that the First Wu When the king still had such a confidant, he was about to return to the west. Wu officials had not interacted with him before. So Eunuch Guo had not been able to contact the previous court for many years, and he hid his confidant, so he would probably have more contact with him. In the backyard of Prince Wu's Mansion, his thoughts were on the same road as those of the ladies. Besides, wasn't that just trying to coax him with forceful words? Didn't he understand later and become suspicious? It's not easy to find a point in a short period of time to make a loyal slave faint."
Liu Xiaoqi touched his chin: "It makes sense."
Jia Cong kicked him: "Go back to Beijing!"
Liu Xiaoqi climbed to the front of the carriage, put on his bamboo hat, and gently waved his riding whip. After a while, the carriage disappeared without a trace. The two of them had replaced two war horses, and led a dozen soldiers to move as fast as the wind.
In the blink of an eye, the New Year has passed, and the political affairs hall of Yan State is as busy as usual. After the Shangyuan Festival, everyone urged Jia Cong to go to Qi State. However, Jia Cong was lazy and sick for some reason and did not want to go. After dillydallying for four or five days, on the second day of the first lunar month Ten set out on this day. He and Liu Xiaoqi had already led people out of Shili Pavilion. Suddenly they heard the sound of horse hooves behind them. They turned around and saw Liuzhuang coming.
The young man made a military salute: "Your Majesty, Seventh Uncle. General Jia asked Shen Zhimo and I to follow. Her horse will be slower and we will be here."
Jia Cong was stunned for a moment: "You can just follow me. What's Little Bell Ding doing here?"
"The general said that Ding Chu has a photographic memory, so you have to be on guard against him. Comrade Zhimo also has this ability."
Jia Cong and Liu Xiaoqi looked at each other. Liu Xiaoqi said: "That's fine." Then he looked at Jia Cong and said, "Shen Zhimo's marksmanship is good. General Jia even praised him a few days ago."
Jia Cong smiled and said loudly: "It's just that the horse is a little slow."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Zhimo's horse had arrived. The little girl said angrily: "Liuzhuang left before me! I left last! Prime Minister Lin also told me about the matter! If you really think about it, I am faster than him!"
Everyone laughed. Jia Cong cupped his hands and said, "Yes, yes, I made a mistake. I apologize to you! Our little Lingdang is both civil and military, and he is definitely a genius." Shen Zhimo snorted, turned his horse and ran to the front. Everyone laughed again, Hit the horse and keep up.
On the first day of February, Madam Ma went to Puzhao Temple to offer incense as usual. After paying homage to the Buddha, she went to the side hall to rest as usual. Suddenly she heard a cat meowing outside the window. Madam Ma frowned slightly and listened attentively for a while - the meow didn't seem like a cat meowing. After thinking for a moment, he just said that he wanted to rest and ordered everyone who was serving him to leave.
After a while, someone knocked on the window three times, and then the window opened with a "squeak". Someone stood outside the window with fists in his hands, turned over and jumped into the house. When Ma Niangniang saw it, she saw that he was a young man.
He was in his twenties, with clear features and beautiful eyes. He looked up and down a few times without realizing it. The young man clasped his fists again and said softly: "Mother Ma, I'm polite. I do..." He hesitated for a moment, then said bravely, "
On the orders of the fat young man on the streets of Chenzhou, I came to get the result."
Ma Niangniang followed the son of King Yan in the past few years, and served the elderly King of Qi in these years. Although she couldn't help it, she could not help but compare the two. Now that she saw this young man's prowess, she felt that he was a bit naive.
She smiled sweetly, then took a letter from her arms and handed it to him. The young man took the letter with both hands, put it into his coat pocket without looking at it, and then clasped his fists: "I'll take my leave." Ma Niangniang smiled and nodded. The young man climbed out of the window and got out.
It was as fast as a civet cat, and disappeared after passing the wall. Madam Ma unconsciously stared at the window in a daze.
The young man was naturally Liuzhuang, and he returned to his residence with the letter and handed it to Jia Cong. Jia Cong opened the letter, and Liu Xiaoqi read it together. The letter said that Ma family had found out that that day was the King of Qi's birthday.
Cui, the fifth son's concubine, personally came forward to give Monk Jianru the idea.
Na Lao Wu thought that since Ma Niangniang was favored and he recognized her as his mother, the Qi State would be his own sooner or later. Therefore, he worried about state affairs day and night. Since Jia Cong came to power in the Yan State, I don’t know how many people have been taken away from the Qi State.
The common people, the female prime minister surnamed Lin simply sent a clerk from the Ministry of Household Affairs to the Qi State to recruit tenants! Then she hated the Yan State to the point of itch. Last year, King Chen helped the eunuch of the former King of Wu to send a blood letter, and His Highness the Fifth Highness strongly remonstrated with the State of Qi.
Cui presided over the alliance to rebel against Yan. He did not want the King of Qi to join in. After a while, he heard that the King of Wu had sent a monk to ask for an audience, but he still did not persuade the King of Qi. The Fifth Highness sighed and stayed up all night. Cui
She was a virtuous man, so she asked her husband if he was willing to talk to her about his sorrows. His Highness the Fifth Prince listened to her from the beginning.
As a daughter-in-law, Mrs. Cui had difficulty sharing her husband's worries and was full of worries. She had a clever maid beside her who also wanted to share her master's worries. Mrs. Cui told her. The maid thought for a while and came up with the idea of "Israeli troops hurt the people"
"The idea was just that the man from Wu State was a monk. The monks were compassionate and might not be willing to use this strategy. So Cui dressed plainly and pretended to be an ordinary folk girl to see Jianru, and told the monk a story. She said it was
There is a huge ant nest in the village. The ants are infested and the villagers are helpless. Today a wandering Taoist priest comes and fills a jar of water in the ant nest today and a jar of water tomorrow. Every time he can
Drown some ants. As time went by, the ants finally couldn't stand the disturbance and moved away. After listening to this, Monk Jianru was thoughtful. Mrs. Cui smiled brightly and stood up to leave.
After reading it, Jia Cong asked Liu Xiaoqi: "Do you believe it?"
"I don't believe it," Liu Xiaoqi said, "but I believe that the story about the ants I told Jianru is true. I just don't know who told the story."
Jia Cong casually handed the letter to Shen Zhimo: "You should also take a look. There must be a reason why Prime Minister Lin sent you here."
Shen Zhimo laughed after reading it: "According to her opinion, the maid came up with the idea? Does she think we will believe it?" She handed it to Liuzhuang again.
Liuzhuang took the letter without reading it and said, "Just now at Puzhao Temple, someone wanted to follow me, but I got rid of him." He paused, "That person had ambush on the beam of Ma family's house."
Jia Cong asked: "How is his kung fu better than yours?"