Chapter 371 Zhao Duan: Princess, where do you practice?
Invite Prince Jing to come over?
Feng Ju's face was slightly surprised, and he felt faintly worried: "Sir, do you want to..."
Going to visit the prince and asking the prince to come over are two different gestures.
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "Just go ahead and do it. By the way, I will send the letter later. I will receive my own people first."
"Yes." Doctor Feng immediately He responded and put himself in the position of an obedient subordinate.
The two discussed some more detailed arrangements before getting up and leaving.
After everyone left, the entourage standing outside the main hall of the Humble Administrator's Garden walked in.
"How is the settlement going?" Zhao Duan took out two yellow mangoes from the fruit plate and threw them to the Hai family's ancestors and grandson respectively.
Haitang raised his hand to take it and said calmly:
"The accommodation has been allocated. This garden is really nice. It is rare even in the capital."
The eunuch in the python robe smiled and opened the mango to eat, and said:
"If nothing happens, our family will Let’s go and have a rest first. Haha, the maids in this garden are all pretty and soft-spoken, which is very different from those in the capital.”
So? How can you still enjoy it... Zhao Duan complained, not surprisingly:
"When it comes to gardens, the Huai River is indeed the most powerful. I remember that there is also the Emperor's Summer Resort in the Huai River? What a pity? Not here, otherwise I would like to have a long view.”
“The royal family’s villa,” Eunuch Hai’s memory drifted away, and he muttered:
“Then we have to go further south. Near Luoshan is the palace that Taizu built when he was enshrined in Zen, six hundred years ago... Oh, you may not have a chance to visit in the future. "
If the python-robed eunuch is referring to this, Zhao Duan didn't hear it.
Waving for the group to rest first, he stayed in the hall, preparing to receive the guests.
……
As Feng Ju said, as early as when Zhao Duan entered Huting City, many people were eager to visit him.
Not long after Lao Feng went out to deliver the message, guests were welcomed into the Humble Administrator’s Garden.
The first person to come to the door was an "acquaintance" that surprised Zhao Duan.
"Ms. Lin?" Zhao Duan sat in the main hall, with a long banner hanging on the wall behind him and authentic paintings of famous ancient landscape masters.
Holding the tea cup from Feng Kiln in his hand, he looked at a young woman walking from outside the hall in surprise.
Beautiful and elegant, with an oval face and silkworm eyebrows, she is no longer wearing a plain white dress, but has changed into a thicker and more conservative skirt and silk clothes. Her demeanor is completely different from when she was in the capital. people.
Lin Susu!
The concubine "Sixth Madam" that Li Yinglong, the "little pavilion elder", once had forcibly took.
At that time, he teamed up with Zhao Duan and used his resemblance to the late emperor's concubine to set up a trap to deceive the Li family and his son.
Later Zhao Duan sent him back to the south and gave him the option of joining the Imperial Merchant.
"Folk girl Su Su comes to see her benefactor!" Mrs. Lin stepped over the threshold and prostrated herself, with an excited look on her face.
A man in his thirties, dressed as a businessman, who was following her also knelt down.
"Get up and talk." Zhao Duan smiled, looked at the man beside her, and said curiously:
"If I remember correctly, is this your husband? What the hell... ..."
"Hu Xuezhai." The man hurriedly introduced, his eyes sincere:
"My husband and I were in trouble in the past. If we had not been rescued by our benefactor, we would have been separated from each other, and ordinary people would have wanted to go to Beijing. The face-to-face visit was delayed due to business matters. Now that I have learned that my benefactor is coming, my husband and I have taken the liberty to bother you. We have no wealth, but only have some thoughts. I hope my benefactor will accept it. "
As he said this, he handed over the wooden box gift in his hand. Offer.
Zhao Duan smiled and ordered the couple to get up and talk, only to learn that Mrs. Lin returned to Jiangnan in the past and told her what happened after rescuing her husband.
Hu Xuezhai was also an infatuated person, but he tolerated it. The couple never separated, so Mrs. Lin also took out the certificate given by Zhao Duan.
The two of them were merchants, and they were the first batch to join the imperial merchants. Although the market has not officially opened yet, in fact, the commerce under the leadership of the imperial court has been in trial operation for some time.
The couple also reaped the dividends and became representatives of the newly rising imperial merchants.
Zhao Duan chatted with him for a while, and someone else came to visit him, so he ordered someone to take the couple to the garden to rest.
The second person who arrived was still an acquaintance who surprised him.
"Sir, according to what you said, Dong'er has been waiting at Huting for a long time."
Wearing a dark horse-faced skirt and a shawl, the "Big Yu" of the Xiao family in Qingzhou "The First Widow" stepped into the threshold with a smile and a gift.
Bow down to Zhao Duan Yingying, with two piles of snow on his chest faintly visible.
"Mrs. Xiao kept her promise and sat down to talk." Zhao Duan smiled and invited her to take a seat. He learned that after Mrs. Xiao left the capital before, she did not return to Qingzhou and came directly to Huting.
I have lived here for a long time.
"Madam came here so eagerly, so Xu Zudi didn't say anything?" Zhao Duan was curious.
Mrs. Xiao had a beautiful smile, as gentle as a pool of spring water. She pursed her red lips and said with a smile:
"I have something to report to you. I was worried about alarming others in the capital, so I didn't dare to tell you. Then Xu Zudi told Dong'er to come over this time and asked me to set an example at the Huting meeting and represent the merchants of Qingzhou in opposing the imperial court. , obstructing the opening of the market.”
Is this happening?
Zhao Duan was greatly surprised, and he couldn't laugh or cry at all. He said with a smile: "Then you still dare to come here?"
Mrs. Xiao said with a smile: "Everyone knows that the Xiao family wants to be the emperor. Shang, but the court has repeatedly refused, why don't I dare to come?"
Zhao Duan sighed: "Madam is acting as a double agent."
She is very independent in her heart. At the same time, Mrs. Xiao, who is very good at taking advantage of her beauty, pretended to be flustered and said timidly:
"Sir, please don't scare Dong'er. You know, the Xiao family only follows your lead. That Xu Zudi is a complete idiot, I Don't be afraid of him."
"Hahaha," Zhao Duan laughed heartily and said seriously:
"I have seen Madam's intention, but you can hold your ground for now and wait for my news. Express your stance again.”
“Dong’er obeys.”
"Okay, let's go and have a rest in the garden. There's no need to leave in a hurry." Zhao Duan served tea to see the guests off.
Mrs. Xiao Tingting stood up and walked out.
The moment she stepped out of the threshold, her temperament changed, and she returned to the cold and graceful woman in the eyes of outsiders, who had the demeanor of everyone and looked coldly and coldly at the men.
Next, several more royal businessmen came to visit.
Everyone prepared gifts and were so polite that they were almost flattering.
I am used to seeing officials and nobles in the capital, but suddenly I met so many merchants and nobles. Compared with the two, the latter was even more overwhelmed.
No one has the slightest disrespect for Zhao Duan, a "big shot" who looks too young.
Everyone knows that such a big shot is the king of hell in the underworld who can easily destroy their family with just one look.
"Mr. Zhao, long time no see, your style remains the same."
Finally, after meeting several groups of people, Zhao Duan heard a laughter as clear as a silver bell.
He raised his head and saw Xu Junling leading his maid Lu Shui in the courtyard.
"Princess?" Zhao Duan stood up for the first time and greeted him with a big smile:
"Come as soon as you come, what else do you want to bring... Hey, don't take it back. , I’m just telling you, don’t take it seriously.”
Xu Junling couldn’t help but laugh, the two of them finally got to know each other better, and after making a joke, the princess smiled and said:
“I heard that you are in Beijing again. A lot of great things have been done, but when the news of Gao Lian's death came back, you don't know what the faces of the Li Dang family in Huaishui were."
Zhao Duan said righteously:
"The fact that Chief Minister Gao committed suicide out of fear of crime really surprised me. However, he was willing to plead guilty before his death, which shows that he still has a conscience."
Xu Junling blinked and asked, "Really he committed suicide out of fear of crime?"
"Is this even false?"
"Haha..." Xu Junling had a look on his face that said, "You think I'm stupid", but he didn't go into details and talked about Mr. Zhengyang's apprenticeship. He kept asking questions, and the talented princess was particularly curious about it.
Zhao Duan pushed back and said that the old thief from Zhengyang was not well-intentioned, but Xu Junling looked at him with an increasingly complicated look.
It seems like he wants to see through him.
"I originally wanted to visit Prince Huai'an in person later, but unexpectedly the princess came first." Zhao Duan changed the subject.
Xu Junling smiled and said: "You want to see my father?"
"Inconvenient?" Zhao Duan carefully tested.
Xu Junling was silent for a moment, smiled sweetly after a moment, and was about to say something when suddenly he heard the noise coming from the gate of the Humble Administrator's Garden, accompanied by the shouts of the servants in the garden:
"Prince Jing is here!"
The two people in the hall were stunned, looked at each other, and said in unison: "Did you call me here?"
Then their expressions became weird.
Xu Junling did not expect that Prince Jing would come to the door in person. All kinds of thoughts flashed in his little mind, and he didn't know what kind of drama he could imagine.
Zhao Duan was surprised that it was still early for him to ask Feng Ju to invite him. In other words, Prince Jing did not invite him, but took the initiative to visit. A few hours ago, he had just defeated the prince on the river, and in the blink of an eye, the other party's father was here.
"The person who came here is not good." Zhao Duan murmured softly.
Immediately under Xu Junling’s curious eyes, he stood up and said with a smile:
“Princess, how about we welcome you together?”
There are still some etiquette that should be observed. .
......
When the two stood up and walked out of the main hall, those imperial merchants who had come to visit the Humble Administrator's Garden before and were deliberately left by Zhao Duan to rest and play in the garden also all heard the news. Come.
Mrs. Xiao, Mrs. Lin and her husband all looked surprised.
“Prince Jing is here?”
Haitang and Lao Zongfeng, as well as Lang Shiba, Ji Yue and other guards also rushed over and put themselves on guard.
Zhao Duan signaled them to be calm and looked towards the front of the garden.
I saw a group of people approaching in a mighty manner. Several servants of the royal family were guarding them. The first ones were a family of three.
The Crown Prince Xu Jinglong, whom he had met not long ago, was walking at the end, with his head slightly lowered, his expression invisible, and a well-behaved attitude.
The person at the front is an elegant middle-aged man. He seems to be in his forties, but his temples have already turned gray.
On the top of the luxurious robe embroidered with a four-clawed python dragon, the jade-like face has an awe-inspiring aura, and the slight curve at the corner of the mouth gives people an almost imperial nobility.
White Bodhi is wrapped around the sleeves of his arms, and an excellent "Peace and Nothingness Card" hangs on his chest. It is orange in color and is a rare South China Sea warm jade.
The first of the Eight Kings.
The powerful vassal king who poses the greatest threat to the empress’ throne is Jiancheng Dao and Prince Jing Xu Wen!
Zhao Duan's eyes crossed and collided, and then he was attracted by a beautiful woman with a gentle face next to Prince Jing.
She wears a long fringed skirt, has a plain face without makeup, has slender eyebrows, and her temples are tied into a woman's bun.
Although she is no longer youthful, she still has a unique feminine charm. The slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes add to the woman's mellow wine-like fragrance accumulated over time.
In Zhao Duan's mind, the information he had read came to mind, and he guessed her identity:
The current Princess Jing, Lu Yaner.
After the death of Xu Jinglong's biological mother, the princess was left vacant for a time. Several princesses in Prince Jing's palace wanted to fight, but Prince Jing never expressed his stance.
One day, the nun who became a monk in a Taoist temple in Jiancheng Taoism married back to the palace and became the new princess.
This is Lu Yaner.
It once became a hot topic among people. There were rumors that the female crown of this Taoist sect was the old lover of Prince Jing. Now the old love has rekindled, but there is no evidence.
In addition, it is said that this princess Xu is a monk and has returned to secular life. Unlike ordinary women, she does not shy away from being exposed in public.
Whenever Prince Jing goes out, he is accustomed to traveling together as a couple.
At this moment, sensing Zhao Duan's gaze, the gentle and refined beautiful woman also looked over with her bright black eyes.
Zhao Duan was slightly startled.
As the two looked at each other, the Taoist woman who had returned to secular life frowned slightly and turned her head to look away, as if she had rarely been looked at so rudely and almost unscrupulously by the man outside.
In the Humble Administrator's Garden, many people also noticed that Mr. Zhao was staring at the princess with a strange expression.
I just thought it was due to my nature, but with such rudeness, could I not be afraid that His Majesty would be angry, or that he might offend Prince Jing?
"Prince Jing's arrival is very impressive. I haven't received the news yet, so I welcome you in advance. I hope you won't be surprised."
Zhao Du'an realized it later and withdrew his gaze. said with a laugh.
But there was still a strange emotion in his heart. He had never seen Princess Jing before, and he couldn't detect anything special about her.
But just when we looked at each other, I felt an inexplicable "familiar" feeling, which was very strange.
It seems like I have seen it somewhere.
"Junling has met Uncle Wang." The little princess also bowed and saluted.
The powerful vassal king, who is the head of the Eight Kings, smiled indifferently, as if he was not aware of Zhao Duan's actions just now, and nodded with a smile:
"Junling is here too, your father didn't come. ?”
Xu Junling smiled sweetly: “My niece is familiar with Mr. Zhao, but my father didn’t know about this visit.”
Prince Jing nodded, pretending to believe it, and turned around. The head looked at Zhao Duan deeply and said meaningfully:
"Are you Zhao Duan? The famous man in front of His Majesty?"
Inexplicable.
The Humble Administrator's Garden suddenly became quiet. No one dared to speak and even held their breath.
Zhao Duan smiled and looked at the elegant and powerful man in front of him.
The two met for the first time today, but it was not the first time they fought against each other.
At first, Zhao Duan investigated the Zhang brothers and accidentally involved a spy from the Prince Jing's Palace. Later, he fished in the Shenji Camp, pulled down the military attaché who had worked so hard to win over the Prince Jing's Palace, and killed the second spy.
Then King Jing used the chief envoy Gao Lian as a pawn to play chess with the empress from a distance, trying to force Li Yanfu to rebel and split the court... Zhao Duan also participated.
At this moment, the two finally saw each other's true appearance.
"Your Majesty, you are too polite. I don't deserve the word 'red man',"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "It's just a matter of eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor."
"What a fortune for the emperor," Prince Jing's smile seemed to contain hidden meaning, "I came here uninvited, and Ambassador Zhao didn't invite us to come in and sit down?"
"Haha, please. "
Zhao Duan greeted with a big smile and led Prince Jing's family into the main hall. When he turned around, he glanced at Eunuch Hai and others next to him.
The latter understood the idea and walked outside the main hall to separate the inside and outside.
Xu Junling blinked and wanted to follow, but was suddenly stopped by the female detective Haitang's hand:
"Princess, go and rest here."
Xu Junling smiled sweetly: "...that's fine."
...
...
In the main hall, after the two parties were seated respectively, the servants served tea and carefully closed the door.
There were only four people left in the room.
Zhao Duan smiled warmly and was not arrogant at all:
“When I was in the capital, I always heard your Majesty mention the prince, saying that among all the princes, Prince Jing is the only one with great talent and experience. Among all the local officials dispatched by the imperial court, only the officials of Jiancheng Road are the most worry-free and labor-saving, because Prince Jing’s palace has to worry about all matters in the Tao.”
This is heartbreaking.
Prince Jing seemed not to hear what was going on. The vassal prince, who looked much younger than his real age, smiled warmly and his eyes were full of admiration:
"It's rare that your Majesty is still thinking about my uncle. Your Majesty was ordered to take charge of the government in a critical situation. It must be particularly hard. Fortunately, you have a young talent like you to assist you.
I, the king, are building the city. Although the journey is far away, I also heard a lot of news from the capital. I was very surprised when I first learned that Your Majesty had found a Forbidden Army infantry to serve by your side.
It was only later that I learned that the White Horse Inspector Zhao Jun had moved to the capital, and then I learned that Your Majesty was there. I am better at understanding people than I am."
Standing next to him in the room.
When Xu Jinglong, who didn't even sit on a seat, heard the word "serve", his downcast face visibly darkened.
After feeling his father's gaze, he quickly calmed down his emotions and controlled his expression.
King Jing sighed:
"Jinglong is much older than you, but he is not as good as you from the Forbidden Army. Not long ago, I learned that he was actually playing on the river with You clashed and caused unpleasantness, so you brought him here to apologize."
Zhao Duan's eyes narrowed.
I saw King Jing Xu Wen’s voice low: “What are you still standing for?”
Xu Jinglong stepped forward, put down the gift box he was holding, and bowed respectfully:
"I hope you will forgive me for the collision on the river."
Zhao Duan squinted his eyes and laughed heartily. :
"What are you doing, Your Majesty? There is a slight misunderstanding. I have already made it clear to the Crown Prince, why bother to go to war?"
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly relaxed.
The originally heavy and almost solid air also quietly began to flow.
After mentioning this matter in one sentence, Zhao Duan and Prince Jing began to chat. The prince with hidden ambitions praised Zhao Duan's past "accomplishments", and Zhao Duan also showed his humility, which in turn supported his opponent's skills.
Neither of them mentioned the word "market opening".
After changing the topic, Zhao Duan suddenly smiled and looked at the elegant and gentle Princess Jing sitting next to the middle-aged prince:
“I heard that the princess was also pregnant with Taoism. ? On which mountain did you become a monk? ”
……
Kavin
(End of this chapter)