Spring has come to the outskirts of Chengdu, flowers are blooming, grass is growing and warblers are flying.
By the Zouma River, the grass is low in the water, and the willows with buds are intoxicated in the spring breeze, proudly flaunting the lingering sunshine.
Such scenery and scenery, for the common people in the capital of Guizhou, is a time to prepare for the upcoming spring plowing. For wealthy families and carnivores, it is a relaxing time to take their families for an outing.
On the Willow River Embankment where wealthy people's carriages and horses come and go, several war horses leisurely swaying their tails and snorting, looking out of place.
It also makes people who go out for an outing unable to help but take a few glances when passing by.
I saw two young men holding the reins of the horses, smiling and whispering something, and occasionally pointing at the horses, as if they were discussing riding skills.
On the other side is a strong man eight feet long, with a bird's song on his head and an animal tooth on his neck, standing with his hands hanging down.
As tall and straight as a pine tree, with his hand no more than half a foot away from the hilt of the knife at his waist, and the cautious vigilance in the corner of his eye, it is not difficult to see the dexterity in his body that has been in the army for a long time.
The positions of these three people were faintly surrounded by a scholar standing under a willow tree.
The scholar was dressed in white. He was about twenty years old, seven feet five inches tall, with three neatly trimmed beards. His face was like a crown of jade, and his eyes were like lacquer.
Now he is holding the bamboo flute in one hand on his back, half-closing his eyes and meditating.
The spring breeze gently tugged at the corners of the clothes, and against the background of the green willow trees and sparkling water, the clothes became even more majestic and extraordinary.
Such a beautiful person naturally attracts the attention of countless people.
When he took a closer look, he couldn't help but sigh secretly.
There was a scar on the man's face, which added a bit of ferocity to his originally gentle appearance.
"Mei, that is Mr. Zheng Lang of Sangyuan."
As a cramped deer cart slowly passed by about ten steps away, the slightly older man in the cart covered his lips with his sleeves and whispered to the other person.
Although they are all wearing men's clothing, it is not difficult to tell that they are women.
If an important official of the imperial court passes by, he will still be surprised and lose his voice and pay homage with great salute.
Because one of them is the queen of the Han Dynasty today.
The person she replaced as A-mei was naturally the second daughter of the late General Chariot and Cavalry, named Yan, also known as Wen Dai.
As her name suggests, she has a bright face, arched eyebrows, and a straight bridge of nose that adds a dash of heroic spirit. Her body should be quite tall, and she is obviously a little taller than Empress Zhang when sitting upright and in the car.
His temperament seems to be quite generous.
After hearing what Empress Zhang said, she turned her head and looked away, not worried at all about being noticed by others, and looked at it carefully with her two bright eyes.
Until the deer cart slowly passed by, and Queen Zhang raised her sleeves to cover her eyes, she frowned and said, as crisply as an oriole coming out of the valley, "Sister, he is shorter than the eldest brother and not very strong. Well, he is better than Brother Zhong."
point."
“Pfft~~”
Unable to help it, Empress Zhang smiled at Pingting and said with a crooked look, "How many of my big men are as strong as my eldest brother now? My sister is not too harsh on this. Tell me, what do you think of Mr. Zheng in the Mulberry Garden?"
Well, although Zheng Pu and Zhang Yan have been engaged for a long time, they have never met.
Today, Emperor Liu Chan went out incognito and asked Zheng Pu to go with him.
After hearing the news, Empress Zhang returned to the Zhang Mansion and went on a fake outing with Zhang Yan to let her see her future husband first.
"Hmm~~~"
Zhang Yan, who was still frowning, tilted her head slightly, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Although there are scars on his face, it is not ugly. But the eldest brother mentioned in his letter that he is resourceful and decisive and has a strong temperament; but
Brother Zhong said that he is as gentle as jade, and he likes to make jokes, and talking to him is like drinking wine and getting drunk."
After saying this, without waiting for Queen Zhang's reply, she added, "Sister, in your opinion, does he have a different appearance and a very scheming person? That's why the eldest brother and brother Zhong have different assertions?"
"Giggle."
A laughter like a silver bell came from Queen Zhang's mouth, and her shoulders were shaking slightly.
"Sister!"
Holding Queen Zhang's arm, Zhang Yan frowned even deeper, letting out a faintly embarrassed voice.
"Okay, okay~~ Sister, don't laugh."
Waving her hands repeatedly, Empress Zhang took a deep breath, tried hard to suppress her smile, and then explained softly, "That's because the positions held by my brother and Wen Ji are different. My brother is determined to conquer the military, so he has always been happy and generous.
There are Tao Lue and Wen Ji who are similar. Wen Ji is obsessed with literature, so he is named after Zheng Lang of Musang Garden. This is not because Zheng Langjun is different in appearance, but because his brother and Wen Ji see things differently."
After he finished speaking, he paused and added, "This also shows that few people can match the talent of Mr. Zheng. He can be called Yu Wen Yun Wu, and I am a handsome man."
"oh"
Suddenly enlightened, Zhang Yan opened her red lips and nodded gently.
A pair of water-like eyes turned around and asked again, "Sister, it seems that both the government and the public have something to say. He is similar to the former Fa Yihou. He retaliates for every meal and every grudge. I don't know the rumors.
Is it confirmed?"
Well.
After hearing the question, Queen Zhang was speechless for a moment and seemed to be thinking.
Because it's hard for her to tell.
Since her elder brother Zhang Bao asked Emperor Liu Chan for a marriage, she not only sent some people to inquire about Zheng Pu's past in private, but also often asked the Emperor about Zheng Pu's relationship with his colleagues when he was serving as an official.
For example, Zheng Pu's behavior in the past was to chase away guests.
Last year, when the Han soldiers marched out of Longyou, he and Ma Su guarded the Xiaoguan Road together. They were nearly injured by Ma Su's rash advance, but after the war, he remonstrated with Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and gave Ma Su a lighter sentence.
I just don’t know, was this son interceding for Ma Su that day because he wanted to repay Ma Su for recommending him in the past, or was it similar to "doing things externally without avoiding revenge" and was dedicated to repaying the country fairly?
It should be the latter, right?
Well, today's marriage is approaching, and my sister is still young, so I chose the latter.
Empress Zhang, who was thinking deeply, smiled gurglingly, and held her little sister's catkins in her hands, "The rumors are unbelievable. My sister, please think about it, the husband of the Zheng family has been an official for sixty years, and everyone who works with him praises him.
Talents are very keen in learning, and few people will ruin them with words. From this, we can see that the husband of the Zheng family is not a narrow-minded person who will retaliate for his anger."
"Well, as my sister said, it is indeed rare to hear of someone using words to slander Mr. Zheng."
With her head nodding, Zhang Yan's eyebrows were crooked, and a hint of cunning appeared on her face, "In that case, if I don't like female celebrities, he will definitely not be harsh on her in the future. Hehe!"
"Heh~~~"
Hearing this, Queen Zhang couldn't help but smile, stretched out her finger and poked her little sister's forehead, her tone was full of doting, "You!"
This little girl from the Zhang family loves literature, is familiar with music, and is good at dancing with a sword. She is said to have both talent and virtue.
However, he has disliked female celebrities since he was a child, and has never weaved, sewed or worn shoes.
For example, after the Emperor Liu Chan began to cultivate his own land, Empress Zhang also flew like a phoenix. She often drove to the Prime Minister's residence to pick mulberry, weave and sew clothes with Zhuge Huang, etc. It has become a good story spread by the Han scholars. At this time, every time
When Empress Zhang wanted to let her go with her, she always refused with various reasons.
"A ruler is longer, an inch is shorter."
Zhang Yan, who was poked in the forehead, was not embarrassed, but smiled and said loudly, "My sister is a good girl, but she doesn't know the music! Although I am not a female worker, I can dance the sword and play the piano well.
Why force it too much!"
"My sister, this is a cunning ear!"
"It's not right, but each has his own strengths! Hee hee~~~"
Let’s talk and laugh.
The slow whispers on the deer cart slowly disappeared, dissipated in the whisper of the spring breeze.
Zheng Pu didn't know this.
He had been keeping his eyes closed, his mind filled with thoughts of yesterday's conversation with Fat Cavalry General Li Yan.
It had been nearly a month since he returned to Chengdu. While he was having a warm and happy time with his family, he even visited Jiang Wan, Zhang Biao and the home of his future in-laws, Xiang Chong.
However, since he was returning from a break this time, he did not visit Li Yan.
After all, he was a high-ranking minister entrusted by the late emperor.
Moreover, the two of them had never crossed paths before, so it was not suitable for him to visit rashly.
It's not that he's afraid, he has a reputation of following the crowd.
As he was about to become the emperor's brother-in-law, no one would think that he still wanted to curry favor with Li Yan.
Rather, he did not want to disturb him and was afraid that Li Yan, who had always been known to be self-respecting, would avoid seeing him on the pretext of being concerned with state affairs, making his visit a temporary joke.
In particular, Wang Chong, a descendant of his elder brother Zheng Yan's mother's family and a descendant of the Wang family in Li County, was forced to defect to the Wei Dynasty due to Li Yan's harsh treatment.
Due to both sentiment and reason, it was not easy for him to visit privately.
Unexpectedly, Li Yan actually sent someone over to invite him, asking him to go because he wanted to know the size of Longyou.
For such reasons, Zheng Pu could not refuse.
Fortunately, after arriving at the government office, Li Yan had no other thoughts.
With just a few polite words, he asked in detail about the deployment of troops and horses of the Han Dynasty, the morale of the soldiers, the storage of grain and fodder, etc., as well as the number of troops and horses of the various troops deployed against the Wei Dynasty.
To this, Zheng Pu answered truthfully.
The two of them were fair-minded, and had no intention of becoming friends, and there was nothing rude about them.
Just when he was about to return, Li Yanshang said to himself, "Now that I, the Han Dynasty, have lost all their cavalry, they have crossed Wei Guanzhong with the Xianbei Qifu tribe to cut off the road from Liangzhou. Why don't the prime minister take advantage of this opportunity and send troops to capture Liangzhou?"
evil?"
However, at that time, Li Yan turned around and left without letting Zheng Pu reply.
In other words, he should be planning to personally write a letter to ask the Prime Minister.
After all, the only person who can decide this matter is the Prime Minister.
But after hearing this, Zheng Pu felt slightly worried.
This is because the imperial court's settlement of farmland in Hanzhong County, Wudu County and Longyou County has not yet been completed. Before Hanzhong County began to become the food source of Longyou County, the Han Dynasty did not have the opportunity to invade Liangzhou in a large scale.
Unless, more than ten thousand soldiers and horses are used to try to see if it is possible to capture Xiao Pass.
However, Li Yanzhi said that he planned to send out the entire army, and it seemed that he wanted to ask for orders to lead the army himself!
Could it be that he was tired of being behind the scenes, arranging food and crops, and working on paperwork?
In other words, since he was also a minister of the late emperor Tuogu, and now the prime minister has gone down to Longyou in a battle, he also has the idea of galloping on the battlefield and making achievements again?
Zheng Pu couldn't say for sure.
I couldn't put my mind to it, so I kept this thought in my mind and pondered it carefully.
"Hahaha~~~Zi Jin has been waiting for a long time, right?"
A hearty laugh interrupted Zheng Pu's thoughts.
Opening his eyes and smiling, Zheng Pu cupped his hands and saluted, "It doesn't take long. But Liu Jun's body decoration is quite good at pretending to be a tiger minister!"
The person who comes is the Emperor Liu Chan.
He was driven by more than a dozen horsemen. He was dressed in regular clothes, carrying a bow and a sword on his back. He looked like a general who had suffered from sleep disorders and was leading his followers to the mountains for hunting and fun.
"Zijin is so honored!"
With a gurgling smile, the emperor waved his hand and said, "I have never fought in battle. How can I be compared to a tiger minister?"
After saying this, he urged again, "Zijin, get on your horse quickly, we'll go and talk later."
"promise!"
He raised his hand again and responded. Zheng Pu took the reins of the horse passed by the servant, jumped up vigorously, and rode the horse slowly behind him, half a horse's head behind the emperor.
As for the others, without the emperor's instructions, they spontaneously went ahead or fell behind by more than ten steps.
The sun is warm, the breeze is blowing, and the greenery is beautiful all the way.
Everyone rode their horses at a trot, relaxing on the slightly bumpy horseback.
The emperor Liu Chan was incognito this time. He had no intention of patrolling the orphans, widows and poor people, and he had no intention of asking about military affairs. He simply wanted to leave the palace for an outing. Therefore, he rode his horse across the Zouma River.
When he could see the Longquan Mountains in the distance, he was still eager to race horses with Zheng Pu. He also held a bow to compare the number of hunts and other fun.
It wasn't until the sun passed high in the sky and he slowly embarked on his way home that he calmed down and said so.
"It is a heroic act for Zijin to disgrace himself for the country. However, he was laughed at in secret by the chariot and cavalry generals. Do you feel aggrieved?"
Um?
Hearing this, Zheng Pu was stunned.
Immediately, with an unswerving expression on his face, he looked back at Fu Qian.
He did not complain to the emperor about being called "Scar Pu", nor did it spread to Chengdu.
However, today I actually found out, and it was only reported to me by Fu Qian who stayed in the palace.
Alas, although this man has good intentions, he is actually planning to harm me!
Unable to help, Zheng Pu sighed quietly in his heart and did not answer for a while.
"Zijin, don't blame Gongyuan for being talkative."
Seeing Zheng Pu's pretentiousness, Emperor Liu Chan waved his hand and said with relief, "Gongyuan is a disciple and he is still young. He is resentful for humiliating his master and does not retaliate with a sword. This is already self-denial for the country."
"I cannot agree with Mr. Liu's words."
Zheng Pu shook his head slightly and said in a calm tone, "Liu Jun is the king of a country, how can he disturb him with such a trivial matter? This shows that this is unclear."
"Something trivial?"
Raising his eyebrows slightly, Emperor Liu Chan asked in surprise.
Not long after, he showed a happy face and said in a very gratified tone, "Zijin is really a gentleman! I have been thinking about it these days, and I wanted to write a letter to reprimand the cavalry general so that Zijin would not be punished.
Huo. Well, the chariot and cavalry generals are guests of the late emperor and also senior ministers of the imperial court. Even if he behaves inappropriately, I can’t blame him harshly. It’s not because I don’t care about Zijin’s reputation.”
"Thank you Liu Jun for your protective heart."
Yan Ran smiled, and Zheng Pu saluted on horseback, "However, even though it is disrespectful, I still dare to say it. If Liu Jun writes a letter to accuse the chariot and cavalry general, I may be criticized even more."
"Well, why?"
Suddenly, Emperor Liu Chan was greatly surprised and couldn't help but ask.
"They are the sergeants in the army and the common people who are illiterate and despicable."
Zheng Pu smiled and replied softly, "Since I have lost my appearance, and I have already spread my contempt by word of mouth, whether Liu Jun has written a letter to reprimand the cavalry general, I can no longer ban it. In this case, why bother making a fuss about this matter?"
Everyone knows it, and it makes the Prime Minister feel sad?"
"I see."
Nodding his head repeatedly, the emperor suddenly understood.
Immediately, he stroked his beard with one hand and asked, "However, Zijin was humiliated for no reason, but there is no hatred in his heart?"
