In early July, Zhao Hongrun, who had been away from Daliang for exactly five months, secretly returned to the royal capital.
He did not bring his female relatives with him because Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, happened to return to Chu from Ba at this time, so Zhao Hongrun also wanted to reunite Mi Jiang and Mi Rui with Xiong Tuo. After all, the latter were sisters. The only relative alive today, even though they are cousins.
Zhao Hongrun felt funny when he mentioned Yangcheng Jun Xiong Tuo.
Because in mid-February, when he met with Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu, he told Xiong Hu that Xiong Tuo did not need to be so anxious to train troops in Ba. In the future, Wei would send troops to Chuxi, and they would just pretend to deal with it. King Lu Xi of Qi will do it.
After all, to be honest, Zhao Hongrun has no intention of directly confronting the Chu State. After all, the "Three Kingdoms of Qi, Lu, Wei, and Wei attacked Chu" was ultimately the will of King Lu Xi of Qi, not the interests of Qi or Lu. Consideration, let alone Wei Guo’s interests.
Zhao Hongrun has a hole in his head. Will he fight for the king of Qi, Lu Xi, and the state of Chu?
But even so, Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, still returned to Yangcheng at the turn of May and June, and his face was not very good when he came back. According to Xiong Hu who was traveling with him, Xiong Hu had received an order from Shou Ying and was forcibly He asked everyone in Ba to return to Western Chu and prepare to set up defenses in Shangcai, Pingyu and other places.
Probably, Chu State also considered the possibility that Wei State should send troops to assist Qi State.
It was also at that time that Zhao Hongrun learned that the reason why Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, stayed in Ba for another two months, did not return to Chuxi immediately and go to Shangshui to meet Mi Jiang and Mi Rui's two sisters. It turned out that he was at a disadvantage in Pakistan.
Leaving aside everything else, just looking at the two scars on the face of Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng at that time, which were cut by arrows, it is not difficult for Zhao Hongrun to guess the danger that the former went through at that time.
The country of Ba was a prosperous and chaotic little world, with all the powerful forces and their intensity no less than that of the Central Plains.
Arriving in front of the city gate, Zhao Hongrun looked up at the huge seal character "Daliang" near the city gate tower. He turned around and told Duan Pei, the leader of the Green Crows: "Be smart after entering the city and don't cause trouble. This is not business."
"I understand," Duan Pei nodded.
He knew that Daliang, the royal capital, was the territory of the eunuchs.
As for Shang Shui Qingya, there is no reason and he may not have the ability to compete with the eunuch. He should be honest and don't cause trouble, and both of them will look good on their faces.
After entering the city gate, Zhao Hongrun seemed to feel that the once bustling royal capital was a little deserted than before.
Of course, this is just an illusion.
The reason for this misunderstanding is that Zhao Hongrun knew that in recent months, many aristocratic families in the royal capital and even in the Wei Kingdom had shifted their development focus to Shangdang, to the fiefdoms they rented from the imperial court. That hoarded supplies, trained troops, and prepared for war with South Korea.
To be precise, the land leased by the noble families from the imperial court cannot be called fiefs for the time being, because they have not earned enough martial arts, but they have to earn martial arts from the Korean army... To be honest, Zhao Hongrun Not optimistic about it.
"These people were all taken by the bait thrown by Zhou Min. It's quite a coincidence to train the army and earn meritorious service!... Are the Korean cavalry the kind of rabble that allows others to earn meritorious service?"
Zhao Hongrun shook his head secretly.
He knew very well that once there was a war between Wei and South Korea, there would be countless noble families who would spend all their wealth or even be destroyed for the bait that Zhou Min dropped.
Of course, all this has nothing to do with him, Zhao Hongrun. From his standpoint, Zhou Min's strategy is quite clever.
Perhaps for this reason, even if the imperial court saw through the hidden parts of Zhou Min's strategies, it still pretended not to know and adopted his strategies, just because the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
Accompanied by the five sect guards Wei Jiao, Chu Heng, Mu Qing, Zhou Pu, Lu Mu and the Blue Crows Duan Pei, Zhao Hongrun walked slowly towards his Prince Su's Mansion, while dozens of other Blue Crows were walking with him.
Then they dispersed before entering the city and went into the city first to inquire about the news.
Returning to his Prince Su's Mansion, Zhao Hongrun immediately ordered a seal and did not allow the servants in the mansion and the Prince Su's guards left behind to leak the news that he had returned to Daliang.
After all, among the people, the original rumor against Zhao Hongrun had not completely faded out of the public discussion. Therefore, before more eye-catching news - such as the war between Han and Wei, and the Qi, Lu, Wei and Three Kingdoms attacking Chu - spread, Zhao Hongrun did not
I don't want to reveal my whereabouts and become the center of public opinion again.
Of course, this is only for the people, but for the imperial court, I believe that some people in the imperial court had guessed that Zhao Hongrun would return to Daliang during this period, and deliberately concealed it, which made no sense. I don't think those people would leak the matter casually.
After all, the protagonist in Daliang today is not King Su Hongrun, but Prince Hongli of the East Palace and King Yong Hongyu, or the famous official Zhou Min who became famous some time ago.
He offered advice to the imperial court, but it was actually adopted by Emperor Wei and the imperial court. God knows how many scholars regarded Zhou Min as a role model and an object of admiration.
After returning to his house and taking a comfortable bath to relieve his fatigue during the journey, Zhao Hongrun changed his clothes and headed to the palace.
Still following his past habits, the first thing Zhao Hongrun did when entering the palace was to go to Ningxiang Palace to pay his respects to his mother-in-law Shen Shufei, check on her physical condition, and chat with her for a few words. After all, mother and son were already five years old.
We haven't seen each other for months.
Concubine Shen Shu was very happy when her eldest son came back. She eagerly held her son's hand, asked about his welfare, and inquired about the food and accommodation situation outside.
Zhao Hongrun could see that Concubine Shen Shu was a little lonely, because not long after the eldest son left Daliang, his younger brother Zhao Hongxuan also moved out of the palace because he was old, although Emperor Wei had not yet given him the title of king.
, but already has his own mansion.
With both sons not around, it is conceivable that Concubine Shen Shu was naturally lonely.
"Hasn't Father come here recently?" Zhao Hongrun asked with a teasing tone.
Concubine Shen Shu smiled calmly and did not say much, but her personal maid Xiao Tao muttered with some emotion: "Your Majesty, your Majesty has visited less places since you left Daliang... He only comes once every ten and a half months."
"Don't talk nonsense." Concubine Shen Shu interrupted the murmur of the palace maid Xiao Tao with a reproachful tone, and then excused her husband: "Hongrun, your father is the monarch of our great Wei Dynasty. He has everything to do every day, how can you come to do it for me?"
Mother’s Ningxiang Palace? However, your father sends people here every now and then to inquire about what is needed, and also sends calligraphy and paintings made by himself... Don’t think too much about it.”
Zhao Hongrun looked around and saw that there were indeed many calligraphy and paintings in Ningxiang Palace, and he couldn't help but feel dumb.
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then he understood: his father deliberately distanced himself from Concubine Shen Shu, probably to prevent Concubine Shen Shu from being hated by others.
This is not surprising. Even if Concubine Shen Shu is a peaceful emperor with no desires and desires, as before, Emperor Wei ran to Ningxiang Palace across the mountain in five minutes. Even Queen Wang was not so favored. You let the other concubines in the harem
What do you think?
Aren't they jealous?
Of course they would be jealous, but the reason why they didn't show it was because Concubine Shen Shu had two sons, the eldest of whom was a ruthless character known as Prince Su. They still had vivid memories of the smashing of Youzhi Palace, which one?
The concubines of the palace dare to bring trouble to Ningxiang Palace?
But at present, Concubine Shen Shu's eldest son is far away in Shangshui, and her younger son Hongxuan has just left the pavilion and opened a palace, so there is no deterrent effect. In this case, there may be a jealous concubine who can't help but jump out to find her.
Concubine Shen Shu’s troubles.
Concubine Shen Shu was not in good health, and the most taboo thing was to be emotional. Therefore, it was probably because Emperor Wei considered this that he deliberately distanced herself.
After all, the king of Wei couldn't always pay attention to the affairs of the harem, right?
"Father, you have good intentions..."
Zhao Hongrun secretly didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he didn't have any resentment in his heart.
"Mother and concubine, the child will be able to stay here for about half a month or a month when he comes back this time. He will definitely spend more time with his mother and concubine."
"Okay, okay." Concubine Shen Shu smiled from ear to ear. Then she blinked and asked, "Hongrun, where are the little girls around you?"
"I'm in Shangshui." Zhao Hongrun explained: "When I go back to Daliang this time, the children won't be able to stay long, so they won't be allowed to run back and forth."
"Oh..." Concubine Shen Shu nodded with a smile and praised Zhao Hongrun a few words, saying that he was considerate of her woman and so on. But in the end, she couldn't help but asked cautiously: "Then... there is nothing good about it.
Do you want to bring the news to my mother?"
"Good news?"
Zhao Hongrun was stunned. Although this time he solved the conflict between Anling and Yanling counties, which was really great news, the mother-in-law in front of him didn't seem like someone who would pay attention to this aspect of court affairs.
.
"What good news?"
"..." Concubine Shen Shu glanced at Zhao Hongrun angrily, and then vaguely reminded: "Those little girls, are there any movements in the stomachs?"
"Cough, cough..." Zhao Hongrun, who was drinking tea, choked on these words and coughed repeatedly.
Concubine Shen Shu made it so clear, and if he still couldn't understand it, then he was no longer Zhao Hongrun.
"Mom, the child is only sixteen years old..." Zhao Hongrun said with a wry smile.
"Sixteen years old is not too young." Concubine Shen Shu said earnestly after hearing the words: "Princes in the past, including your royal brothers, all had children at this age, what is there to be ashamed of? Because my mother is old, I also want to
Hug your grandson soon..."
Zhao Hongrun looked at the concubine in front of him who was not even forty yet, dumbfounded.
"...Speaking of which, the women around you have pretty good personalities, but from my mother's perspective, they don't look like they can take care of others. Look at you, you're all so thin..." After saying that, Concubine Shen Shu blinked.
He blinked and suggested: "How about you take Xiaotao away this time? She is an old man next to my mother. With her taking care of you, my mother can rest assured."
"Wait...waiting?"
Zhao Hongrun subconsciously glanced at the palace maid Xiao Tao standing aside, but saw that the latter's face was red, her head lowered and she did not dare to say a word.
To be fair, Concubine Shen Shu is right. None of the women around Zhao Hongrun can take care of others, let alone the Zongwei. But Xiao Tao... is this too awkward? Although she is Concubine Shen Shu's personal maid
, equivalent to confidant.
"Mom, it's almost time. My son has gone to Chui Gong Hall first..."
Zhao Hongrun ran away with a stern look on his face.
"You kid..." Looking at her eldest son who had fled, Concubine Shen Shu said angrily: "I will come to my mother's place for dinner this evening. My mother will cook you a table of your favorite food."