Long Bing'er looked at Xu Qing and asked, "Where is Piaoxiang Courtyard?"
Xu Qing thought for a moment and said, "Piaoxiangyuan, it...it's actually a music studio."
"Is it Lefang?" Long Bing'er felt a little strange. Lefang was called such a name. Those who didn't know it thought it was a restaurant with fragrant food.
Xu Qing coughed and said: "Ahem, of course, Piaoxiang Courtyard also sells some food sometimes, but it is most famous for music, especially playing the flute, which can be said to be a unique specialty in Yongzhou!"
Long Bing'er always felt that something was wrong, but after thinking for a long time, she didn't notice what was wrong, so she simply gave up and concentrated on the grilled fish in her hand.
After eating half of the grilled fish in his hand, Long Bing'er looked at Xu Qing and asked: "Why did the Chu Kingdom ask you to suppress the bandits?"
Xu Qing sounded a little uncomfortable: "What's wrong with me coming to suppress bandits? Are you looking down on me?"
Long Bing'er looked at Xu Qing and asked: "Do you know the art of war? Do you know how to form a formation? Do you know how to march and fight? Do you know..."
Xu Qing waved his hand quickly: "Okay, stop talking, I've been hit."
Long Bing'er said: "So I am very curious about why Chu State sent you."
Xu Qing looked at her and said, "I'm here to give you candy."
Long Bing'er looked calm on the surface and said: "So you came here on your own?"
Xu Qing said: "Yes and no."
Long Bing'er was a little curious: "Yes, it is, what does it mean to be yes and no."
Xu Qing said: "My wife and I were worried that you would encounter rebels on your way back to the country, and we have always wanted to come and have a look. It just so happened that the King Xian asked me to come..."
Long Bing'er: "Come to suppress the bandits?"
Xu Qing glanced at her: "Suppressing bandits is a matter for the Shadow Guards and the Forbidden Army. My mission is not to suppress bandits."
Long Bing'er asked curiously: "Why are you here if you're not here to suppress bandits?"
Xu Qing said: "I'll take you home."
Long Bing'er was obviously stunned: "What did you say?"
Xu Qing said: "Because King Xian wanted to abduct your father back home, so he sent me to abduct you home."
Long Bing'er was immediately embarrassed. Even if he had an idea against her, he actually dared to have an idea against her father!
He even beat her until she was on her way back home!
Xu Qing looked at her and asked, "Will you go back with me?"
Long Bing'er said: "No, even if I could, my father wouldn't come."
Xu Qing: "You just want to know it?"
Long Bing'er was furious: "I don't want to! I'm leaving!"
After that, Long Bing'er took the grilled fish and left.
Xu Qing looked at Long Bing'er who stood up to leave and said, "There will be porridge later."
Long Bing'er retreated and sat down again.
Xu Qing looked at her and said: "You have to eat more in the future. You are so stupid and so greedy. Don't let others cheat you out of just one meal after you return home."
"I don't know how!" Long Bing'er suddenly reacted after saying this: "Who are you calling stupid?"
Xu Qing quickly changed the subject: "Ahem, the porridge is ready, do you want to drink it now?"
Long Bing'er: "Yes."
…
Beijing
Prince Xian's Mansion
study
The wise king was sitting behind the desk, and there was a figure standing in the study, which was the Minister of Rites.
The Minister of Rites lowered his head and bowed his hands, saying: "I am here to see you, Your Majesty."
The wise king said: "Get a straight body."
The Minister of Rites straightened up. The wise king looked at the Minister of Rites and said: "Zhou Aiqing is also a minister of my great state of Chu. Over the years, she has arranged imperial examinations, presided over sacrifices, and was in charge of rituals, music and diplomatic relations. Her hard work and achievements are great!"
The Minister of Rites bowed and said: "I have shown you the kindness of knowing and meeting me, and I will definitely serve the great Chu till my death!"
The wise king said: "Yes, I was the one who promoted you to this position in the first place. You have not made a single mistake in the fourteen years you have been in office."
The Minister of Rites bowed and said: "It's all thanks to His Majesty the Prince's great blessing. I dare not take the credit."
The wise king said: "Zhou Aiqing, the war is about to begin. The treasury of our country, Chu, is short of money. There are rebellions in the feudal states. Under the internal and external troubles, the court is really in trouble."
Originally, the Minister of Rites thought that the prince was just trying to encourage him by calling him, but at this moment, when he heard that the prince suddenly cried out about poverty, the Minister of Rites suddenly woke up with a thin stream of cold sweat on his forehead.
Arranging imperial examinations, presiding over sacrifices, in charge of rituals, music and diplomatic relations...
These are all lucrative matters for the Ministry of Rites. He has made a lot of silver over the years, and has spent a lot of effort to restore the innocence of the silver. One of them includes a gambling house...
The Xian Wang looked at the fine cold sweat on the forehead of the Minister of Rites, and asked with concern: "Is Zhou Aiqing very hot? It doesn't matter, someone, please add some ice cubes to the ice mirror."
Soon the servants put the ice cubes in and added them to the ice mirror in the study. The chill in the study became even worse, and it went straight to the head of the Minister of Etiquette...
The Minister of Rites immediately handed over his hand but said with a slight tremor in his voice: "I have accumulated wealth in recent years, and I am willing to donate half of it to the national treasury for military resources, so as to share the worries of the prince and the great Chu."
The wise king nodded: "Zhou Aiqing is worthy of being my great Chu humerus. I believe that Zhou Aiqing will definitely leave a clear name in the history books after becoming an official. Come on."
When the Minister of Rites came out of the study, the lining was soaked with sweat.
It turns out that the prince already knew...
You know it so clearly...
What you just donated is not money, but life money for yourself!
Just now, the prince said that after he becomes an official, he will leave a clean name in the history books.
In other words, the prince intends to let the past go, but the premise is that he knows what is good and voluntarily resigns and becomes an official...
But it’s okay, if you save your life, everything is worth it!
The Minister of Rites was not as nervous when facing the Emperor of Chu as he was when facing the wise king, because the Emperor of Chu got the throne for free and had never experienced the cruelty of seizing a legitimate son. Therefore, he was a benevolent king and was a benevolent king.
The wise king is different from the Emperor of Chu. The position of the wise king was gained step by step. Countless lives and deaths made the wise king ruthless and decisive. The reason why the emperor of Chu was so kind and soft-hearted but could still suppress the officials was because of him.
Standing behind is the wise king.
The Minister of Rites returned home in despair. He did not tell the people in the court who were complicit in what happened today.
Because people around him must have been watching, and if he dared to speak out, all the money spent on his life would have been wasted.
Moreover, the prince now dares to attack him, the Minister of Rites, which means that the state of Chu has stabilized. Even if Zhou and Zhao take the opportunity to send troops, Chu will not take it seriously.
This made the Minister of Rites think about it and couldn't figure it out. Zhou and Zhao were clearly about to start a fight. It stands to reason that Chu should focus on seeking stability during this period and focus on fighting against the upcoming alliance between Zhou and Zhao.
How could there be such a big fight within the imperial court at this time?
Aren’t you afraid of the internal instability of Chu State?
In the study, King Xian took out a list and crossed out the name of the Minister of Rites.
The next name is Song Jing, the former governor of Qingzhou and now the Minister of Household Affairs.
"Come here, summon Song Jing, the Minister of Household Affairs, to come over."