Seeing Zhao Hongrun playing with the tea cup in his hand and not speaking for a long time, Zhao Ying became a little impatient and couldn't help but ask: "Zhao Run, why are you anxious to see me?... Let's talk about it first, "A Waterside Pavilion"
"I won't give it back to you."
At this time, Zhao Hongrun was thinking about where Xiao Luan might be hiding. Seeing that Zhao Ying misunderstood that he was planning to take back the "Water Pavilion", he smiled and comforted him: "Don't worry, I have no intention of taking back the Water Pavilion..."
"That's good." Zhao Ying rushed to agree, as if she was afraid that Zhao Hongrun would regret it.
In fact, even though she seemed to have "a waterside pavilion" in her hands, if Zhao Hongrun insisted on taking it back, she really had no way to do it.
After all, today’s “Waterside Pavilion” is no longer what it used to be.
Think back when Yi Wang Zhao Yuanli was still alive, who dared to act wild in "Yifang Water Pavilion"? But now, Yi Wang Zhao Yuanli, who was the biggest backer of Yifang Water Pavilion, passed away long ago, and before his death, he was implicated in conspiracy and rebellion.
In this situation, if Su Wang Zhao Hongrun hadn't cared about it overtly or covertly, and he would have beaten gongs and drums to clearly indicate that "One Waterside Pavilion" belonged to him, I'm afraid that Yi Wang Zhao Yuanli's lifelong inheritance would have been divided up long ago.
This is why Zhao Ying keeps saying that she wants to draw a clear line with Zhao Hongrun, but as soon as she hears the call, she has to rush back immediately - if she loses the protection of Su Wang Zhao Run, she will not be able to save her adoptive father's family business.
Perhaps because there was no conflict of interest, Zhao Ying's expression became much kinder. A pair of bright eyes blinked gently on her charming face, and a seemingly innate charm was fully displayed on her face. Zhao Hongrun, who had restrained himself during the period of observing filial piety, felt that
Somewhat dry mouth.
"Ahem, that's it." After coughing, Zhao Hongrun moved his eyes away from Zhao Ying's charming face, handed the empty cup to the other person and gestured for him to pour another cup of herbal tea, and said seriously: "This time, I, the king
I asked Que'er to try to contact you. On the one hand, I want to know the results of your pursuit of Xiao Luan's whereabouts. If possible, I hope to use Xiao Luan's head to pay homage to Uncle Liu Wang's spirit in heaven before I get married this year..."
"Getting married? You want to get married?" Zhao Ying, who was pouring tea for Zhao Hongrun, asked subconsciously, as if she was a little surprised.
"What? Are you surprised that I got married?" Zhao Hongrun asked funnyly.
Zhao Ying's expression was a little complicated. After looking at Zhao Hongrun for a few times, she said in an inexplicable tone: "Will you give the bird girl a title?... She is so loyal to you now that she doesn't even listen to me as your sister.
, you must not let her down..."
After hearing this, Zhao Hongrun looked at Zhao Ying for a while, and then suddenly said: "Since my woman will certainly not live up to her... I may not be able to give her a high status, but I can guarantee that I will treat my woman equally."
Zhao Ying blushed slightly, but fortunately it was not obvious under the dim candlelight in the room: "Why are you telling me this? You can just tell the girl later... When will you get married?"
"About October, one year after my filial piety period expires." Zhao Hongrun took a sip of tea.
"I will buy a generous gift when the time comes."
"Ha." Zhao Hongrun chuckled and said nothing.
As if feeling her face getting hotter and hotter, Zhao Ying changed the subject and asked: "What else? Do you have anything else to do?"
After hearing this, Zhao Hongrun hesitated for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Well, there is one more thing. I would like to ask you to help me investigate someone."
Zhao Ying was surprised when she heard this. After all, although the water pavilion she controlled was well-informed, it was still not as good as the Green Crows and Black Crows. Why would Zhao Hongrun let her check people?
"Who?" she asked curiously.
Zhao Hongrun pondered for a moment and said: "You should know about my concubine Su Ran, right? She was once a member of your waterside pavilion. It is said that she was sold to your side when she was young... I want to
Please help check her origins and see if her relatives can still be found."
After listening to Zhao Hongrun's words quietly, Zhao Ying's chest rose and fell angrily, and the faint emotion in her heart had long since disappeared.
"Is this the main reason why you came to me?" She said in a cold tone: "How doting you are. His Highness Prince Su, for the sake of his beloved concubine, ordered the little girl to rush back to Daliang day and night to obey his orders..."
At this moment, she couldn't help but feel a little sore in her heart.
Zhao Hongrun didn't care about Zhao Ying's attitude, but instead pleaded kindly: "Please, Ying'er, maybe only you can find out about this matter."
Seeing Zhao Hongrun begging for her kindly, Zhao Ying's resentment calmed down a little, and she asked with a hint of amusement: "How long has that woman stayed at a waterside pavilion?"
"When I first met her seven years ago, she said she had stayed at Fangshui Pavilion for many years, but it was not in Daliang, but in a... place that specialized in teaching their talents."
"I know where that is." Zhao Ying frowned and said, "Is that woman "Bai Ying"?"
"Bai Ying? What do you mean?" Zhao Hongrun asked confused.
Zhao Ying heard this and explained: "The girls adopted by Fangshui Pavilion are divided into "Nightingale", "Baiying", and "Nightingale". You already know what they are. As for Baiying, she is a woman who is specially trained to be given to dignitaries..."
When she said this, her expression was also very resistant. After all, she had always resented women becoming men's playthings and appendages.
Zhao Hongrun also felt a little uncomfortable and frowned. After all, what he was talking about now was the woman with whom he had the deepest feelings: "I don't know what Bai Ying is, she was once the shepherd of your waterside pavilion..."
"That's right "Bai Ying"." Glancing at the frowning Zhao Hongrun, Zhao Ying said in a playful tone: "Tell her her life that she will meet you, otherwise, hum... I will do this.
According to the investigation, there are not many women who are qualified to become Bai Ying, but you'd better not have too much hope. After all, that woman may have been in my waterside pavilion for more than ten or twenty years. If you want to find out,
It’s not easy.”
Zhao Hongrun nodded, after all, he also understood the difficulty of this matter.
"Is there anything else?" Zhao Ying asked.
Zhao Hongrun glanced at Zhao Ying and shook his head. Seeing this, Zhao Ying bit her lip lightly and asked intentionally or unintentionally: "When we entered the city, I heard that you suppressed King Qing Hongxin at the merit appraisal feast in Jiying Hall.
One party intends to compete for the big position, is it serious?"
"Have you heard about it too?" Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but shook his head and said, "That's just a rumor... I admit that I suppressed Zhao Wu, but I have no intention of competing for the position."
Seeing Zhao Hongrun's denial, Zhao Ying suddenly frowned and asked, "Why? With your current power and status, why don't you fight for that position?"
"I'm not interested in that position, why should I fight for it?" Zhao Hongrun looked at Zhao Ying in surprise, who seemed a little excited.
"You..." Zhao Ying was blocked and speechless. After a while, she said: "Although I was not in the temple, I heard that King Su Zhao Run was so powerful that the princes, princes, and ministers in the court all avoided his sharp edges, just like a
A sharp sword hangs high in the air..."
"What do you want to say?" Zhao Hongrun asked a little funny.
Zhao Ying frowned at Zhao Hongrun and said in a low voice: "Zhao Run, if you don't fight for the throne now, you will regret it when the new king comes to the throne in the future... Do you really think that the new king will tolerate you?
Continue to hold hundreds of thousands of troops? Continue to be in charge of the Smelting Bureau?"
Zhao Hongrun smiled when he heard this and said: "If the new king is wise, he can tolerate me... I, the Wei Dynasty, are not yet the overlord of the Central Plains. Even if he becomes the overlord of the Central Plains one day, Han Chu will never surrender. If I keep me here, I can make him
Han and Chu dare not act arbitrarily."
"But what if the new king is ignorant?" Zhao Ying asked.
When Zhao Hongrun heard this, he smiled lightly and said calmly: "The new king will not be ignorant, because an ignorant person cannot sit in that seat."
After staring at Zhao Hongrun for a long time, Zhao Ying said quietly: "You are too conceited... No, I should say you are too domineering. Just because you just said bluntly that "an ignorant person cannot sit in that seat", you are destined to never become "
"The king's minister".
"..." Zhao Hongrun was slightly startled.
Thinking about it carefully, what Zhao Ying said does have some truth: Didn't Zhao Hongrun subjectively conclude that King Qing Hong was not virtuous enough to lead Wei to prosperity, so he was implicitly partial to King Yong's reputation, which he recognized?
He had obviously promised not to interfere with the throne, but he did something that affected the ownership of the throne, as if he wanted to use his preferences to decide the future king of Wei. Isn't this overbearing? What is this?
Seeing that Zhao Hongrun seemed speechless, Zhao Ying smiled charmingly, and then said: "Zhao Run, if I were not your daughter... well, the woman I once was, and couldn't escape your protection, you would still acquiesce in handing over a waterside pavilion.
Will you take care of it for me?"
"..." Zhao Hongrun frowned slightly and said nothing.
Seeing this, Zhao Ying shook her head and lowered her voice and said: "You won't... In the same way, the new king you are optimistic about in the future will not acquiesce in allowing you to continue to have the power and status you have now. People will because
Changes due to ambition, and ambition increases little by little... The same is true for the new king you are optimistic about in the future."
That night, after Zhao Ying left, Zhao Hongrun lay on the bed and tossed and turned all night, thinking.
Among the brothers, he was most optimistic about Yong Wang Hongyu, believing that Yong Wang Hongyu would definitely lead Wei to prosperity. More importantly, Yong Wang Hongyu showed favor to him several times, hinting at some promises in a subtle way, and his words were sincere and did not seem to be false.
Therefore, Zhao Hongrun has always been partial to Yong Wang Hongyu to become the king of his Wei Kingdom in the future.
But what Zhao Ying said today left a knot in Zhao Hongrun's heart - as Zhao Ying said, people will change. Even if the current Yong Wang Hongyu keeps saying that he will never treat Zhao Hongrun badly in the future, who can
Can you guarantee that this second brother will really keep his promise in the future and will not change his mind today?
Fortunately, there is still some time for Zhao Hongrun to continue to observe Yong Wang Hongyu's character - as Yong Wang Hongyu gets closer and closer to that position, I believe he will be able to see Yong Wang Hongyu's character more and more in time.
He did not dare to think carefully about the question "What if Yong Wang Hongyu disappoints him?", because if Yong Wang Hongyu also disappointed him, then there would really be no candidate for the crown prince who could satisfy him - except Qing Wang Hongxin.
With Yong Wang Hongyu, who will be left at that time?
Is it the eldest prince Zhao Hongli, who is now very ambitious but barely capable after going through setbacks, or is it the duplicitous Prince Zhao Hongjing?
We can't kidnap Zhao Hongzhao, the brother of the Sixth Prince who is far away in Qi State, back?
"I hope Brother Yong Wang will not disappoint me..."
Lying on the couch, Zhao Hongrun could only pray secretly.