Ju Zhisheng was dripping with cold sweat, and subconsciously wanted to defend himself, hesitating and saying: "Master Hou, Xiao Wang, Xiao Wang is really just..."
"Still trying to quibble?"
Li Mu's face was like a chameleon's, and after a while it became cold again, and he said: "You came with a barbarian caravan, right?"
"us"
"Don't rush to deny it, listen to me!" Li Mu interrupted Ju Zhisheng and said: "There were two Western Turks in the caravan who could not speak Chinese. They were selling barbecue in the West Market and were discovered by Chang'an County Magistrate Wang Zhongyuan.
Similarly, I took it back to the county government for interrogation. Not only did I learn the news about the Western Turks, but I also learned about your whereabouts, the Crown Prince. Otherwise, how could His Majesty find me and ask me to look for you?"
"Your Majesty, you have already committed a big taboo by coming to Chang'an privately. This matter can be big or small, it all depends on His Majesty's thoughts. No one can guess what His Majesty is thinking now. If His Majesty thinks that you came to Chang'an to plot evil,
We even regard you as a spy of the Western Turks, what do you think the outcome will be?"
"Gaochang is afraid of the iron hooves of the Western Turks, isn't it afraid of me, the warriors of the Tang Dynasty? How dare you speak bravely in a small place? Once the army arrives, it will be destroyed in a matter of seconds. You are still not awake, and for the sake of your own selfish enmity, you have to fight against the emperor.
Who gives you the courage to start a war right under your nose? You just want to seek death, and you want to drag me along with you? Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
"Master Hou!" Ju Zhisheng was so frightened by Li Mu's words that he clutched his sleeve and begged: "Master Hou woke up the dreamer with his words, and Xiao Wang was confused! It almost caused a catastrophe! Master Hou, save me.
, Lord Hou, please save me!"
"If I didn't want to save you, I wouldn't hide you in my mansion." Li Mu said solemnly: "The purpose of your coming to Chang'an in advance is nothing more than to visit some people and ask them to speak for you. This is what the title says.
It has the right meaning, but for Your Majesty, it is an illegal act. Now that your hidden behavior has been exposed, Your Majesty will not touch you, but let me come to find you. What you are interested in is the significance of your father's visit."
"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, your father is the first king of the country to come to court in person. This is where your father is smart, but your Majesty doesn't pay attention to you at all. Do you understand?"
"I understand!" Ju Zhisheng nodded repeatedly and said: "His Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, is rich all over the world. I am just the crown prince of a small border country. How can I get into the eyes of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty? I know myself."
"That's good." Li Mu continued: "Your Majesty asked me to come to you. First, I want to keep an eye on you and prevent you from doing anything rash. Second, I also want to teach your father that his little thoughts have been seen through. This time
When you come to see me, don't make any small calculations. Thunder, rain, and dew are all gifts from God. Whether and how to help Gaochang are matters decided by the Sacred Heart. No one should interfere."
Ju Zhisheng secretly said that he knew the strength of the Western Turks very well. Compared with the Eastern Turks, they were only stronger than the Eastern Turks. There had been no movement before because there were internal disputes in the Western Turks. Now the internal disputes in the Western Turks have been resolved and there are a large number of people.
The Eastern Turkic tribes surrendered and became more powerful than before. In Ju Zhisheng's heart, it was unclear whether the Tang Dynasty was the opponent of the Western Turks. Even though Gaochang was a small place, they didn't even need to fight. The army passed by and flattened it.
"Master Hou, to be honest, Xiao Wang came here just to lobby the important officials in the Tang Dynasty in advance to help Gao Chang say a few words. As soon as he arrived in Chang'an, he heard about Master Hou's deeds, and he yearned for it, so he started
I visited the Marquis, but I didn't expect what happened next. The Marquis was right, this is not the time to care about these things. Now that my purpose has been revealed to Your Majesty, the little king is frightened and uneasy, but the family and country are in danger, and the little king
As the crown prince, if I don’t do my best, I will really feel uneasy. For the current plan, I can only ask the Marquis to help me!"
Seeing the hesitation on Li Mu's face, Ju Zhisheng quickly said: "Master Marquis, before Xiao Wang came, Xiao Wang's father once told Xiao Wang that as long as the princes in the court can help him, they will be given generous gifts.
Don’t let everyone down."
"Talk about money again!" Li Mu frowned and said displeasedly: "Money, money, money, talk about money! According to you, all the officials of the Tang Dynasty can be bought with money? I owe you Gaochang a lot.
You still claim to be a Han dynasty, which is such an insult to Sven!"
Ju Zhisheng had completely lost his temper and said: "The Marquis taught you a lesson."
"No," Li Mu coughed lightly and said, "Of course all the princes in the court are upright, upright and upright. But I, the prince, come from a humble background, have never been to school, and have a very low character.
Whatever you have prepared, give it all to me, and I will help you with this matter."
"Ah?" Ju Zhisheng had never seen shameless people before, but this was the first time he saw someone so upright and shameless. He looked at Li Mu blankly, and was surprised to find that there was no shame on his face, as if he was asking for a bribe.
This thing is very normal.
But this is too much for a lion to say. The gift that Ju Wentai brought was not just for one person. He had prepared a gift for anyone from three provinces and six ministries, the emperor's relatives, and anyone he could talk to. Li Mu is now
Want it all as soon as you open your mouth, this...
Ju Zhisheng wondered: "Master Marquis, it's only because the little king is reluctant to part with it. If it were all given to Master Hou, it would be difficult to explain it to the princes in the court!"
"What do you want to explain?" Li Mu asked strangely: "Isn't your purpose just to do things? Whoever collects money will do it. I will naturally do it for you after I receive the money. You have lived in the Western Regions for a long time, and maybe you are not familiar with the situation in Chang'an.
I understand. Now when it comes to being able to speak in front of His Majesty, who can be better than me, Li Mu? Do you know what people outside say?"
Ju Zhisheng shook his head in bewilderment and said, "Please ask Mr. Hou to clear up the confusion."
"Ha!" Li Mu smiled, as if he was a little embarrassed, and said, "People say that I am His Majesty's illegitimate son. Otherwise, how could Your Majesty be so indulgent in me, help me, dote on me, and pamper me?"
Do you dare to say such things? Ju Zhisheng’s eyes almost fell out.
Li Mu was still bragging triumphantly: "Let me tell you this, I may still be able to do things that others can't do. But if there are things that I can't do, others shouldn't even think about it!"
After that, Li Mu looked at Ju Zhisheng's expression and said, "You don't believe it? It's normal not to believe it. After all, you don't understand. But it doesn't matter. I also have a few friends in the court, such as Wei Zheng, the imperial censor, the king of servants, and others.
We are all friends with each other, and if I say a word, they will have to give me some face."
"Master Hou"
"I am a childlike person when it comes to business. How about this? Let's not talk about it for now. When it comes time to talk about business, we will decide after seeing the results. If it doesn't work out, I won't take any money from you. If it works out, you can
Leave things behind."
Ju Zhisheng thought about it, that's fine, since he can't come forward now anyway. With Li Mu's help, it's done, the money will not be wasted, and if it doesn't work, the money will be saved.
"Okay, I'll leave it to Mr. Hou!"
"That's great!" Li Mu laughed and said, "After talking for so long, the prince must be hungry too, so I will ask someone to bring food over."
Ju Zhisheng couldn't help but swallow when he heard the word "meal". When he was in prison, he vowed that he would have a big meal after he came out. And after eating croton powder last night, his stomach was empty. Li Mu didn't even mention it.
, my stomach growled as soon as I mentioned it.
Ju Zhisheng thought to himself, even if he didn't specially prepare the palace, it must be a little bit meaty. After spending the past few days in prison, there was no meatiness at all. Now, even if there is a jar of meat oil in front of him, he can pick up the jar.
Drink.
The maid outside responded and came in with a tray. Ju Zhisheng couldn't help but ask: "Excuse me, Mr. Marquis, what kind of dish is it? I have heard for a long time that the Central Plains delicacies are as vast as the sea of stars, Xiao Wang needs to experience it."
"Hi! It's not worth it!" Li Mu waved his hand, looking humble, and said: "I am from a humble background, and I can't get rid of this poor problem. Do you think it's strange or not? I eat big fish and meat every day. Eat it.
I was tired of eating, so I thought, what should I eat?"
At this time, Xiaozhu entered the room. Ju Zhisheng saw the things in the tray and blurted out: "Wotou?!"
"Yes!" Li Mu reached out and picked up a steamed bun from the tray, took a bite, and praised: "This is the steamed bun! When I was in Mayi, my family was so poor that we couldn't even afford steamed buns. At that time, all we ate were mixed bean steamed buns.
, where are the buckwheat steamed buns like these now? Now I want to eat mixed bean steamed buns, but there is no place to find them, alas..."
Li Mu said and took another bite. Seeing that Ju Zhisheng didn't move, he asked strangely: "Why doesn't the prince eat? Does it mean that the food in my Marquis Mansion is not good?"
"Don't dare." Ju Zhisheng was about to cry. He reached out and picked up a steamed bun and said through gritted teeth, "Xiao Wang also likes this kind of food very much. When he was in Gaochang, he ate it every day."
"Really!" Li Mu looked at the remaining half of the steamed bun in his hand, and seemed a little reluctant to part with it, but gritted his teeth and made a decision, put it back on the tray in front of Ju Zhisheng, and said, "Although I also like it very much.
Let’s eat steamed buns, but since the prince likes it, I definitely can’t compete with him. Leave it all to the prince. I’ll go to the kitchen later to see if there’s any leftover mutton soup from last night. Heat it up, drink a bowl, and deal with it.
It’s okay.”
Ju Zhisheng hurriedly said: "Master Hou, Xiao Wang can drink the remaining mutton soup, Master Hou can eat the steamed buns, and Xiao Wang can't compete with Master Hou!"
"No, no, the guests are the most important. As the host, how can I compete with the guests?"
Ju Zhisheng wanted to try harder, but Li Mu suddenly waved his hand and said: "Your Majesty, please stop being humble. Excessive modesty means you look down on me. Prince, don't worry, since you like eating steamed buns, you will be recuperating in my house these days."
I will prepare steamed buns for you every day so that you can eat enough!"
"Master Hou..." Ju Zhisheng was really about to cry. He was about to say something more when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Where is he? Qiaoqiao asked me to come back and have dinner with you. Do you still want to eat?"
Before he finished speaking, people had already entered the house. When Ju Zhisheng saw the person coming, his eyes almost popped out. When the person coming saw Ju Zhisheng, he was also stunned.
It is Zhang Tianai.
Seeing this scene, Li Mu stretched out his hand to hug Zhang Tianai into his arms, looked at Ju Zhisheng and said: "Haha, Crown Prince, let me introduce to you, this is my fourth wife!"