Chapter 390 Attack as Defense
The Western Region Mission entered the city this winter under the spotlight.
For the people in the capital, this is an important event worthy of attention in the cold winter. Winter entertainment activities are already scarce. For people in this era, there are always outsiders with exotic customs thousands of miles away. is worthy of attention.
What's more, there is also a princess who has returned to her natal family?
……
early morning.
Zhao family.
“Wow!”
Zhao Duan stood by the sink in the room, holding a bucket of warm water on his face and washing himself reluctantly.
“Getting up early in winter is simply anti-human!”
There were complaints in his mind, and he looked at his wet face in the mirror, and the remaining sleepiness disappeared.
After wiping his hair, Zhao Duan hurriedly put on his coat, then looked at the splash of water that accidentally spilled on the ground when washing his face. He raised his palm, and there was a small mark on his palm. The seal is suspended.
Then, the water stains on the ground dried up little by little, evaporated into water vapor, and condensed into water droplets again and mixed into the copper basin for washing the face.
“I am becoming more and more proficient in mastering it!”
Zhao Duan rubbed the Black Turtle Seal with a somewhat excited expression.
During these days, he secretly took out the Black Turtle Seal to practice when he had time, and continued to improve his ability to control this artifact.
Just like a sword, it cannot be 100% powerful when picked up, and a weapon also needs to be mastered, not to mention it is an ancient magic weapon of the level of the Black Turtle Seal.
"I have been able to control water initially, and even..."
Zhao Duan opened the door, and the cold wind outside the room poured in, and the water placed on the floor of the bedroom was The charcoal basin suddenly became brighter, and the temperature in the barely warm room quickly dropped.
Zhao Duan looked outside and saw that the garden of the house was covered in silver and sprinkled with snow, not to mention the ice and snow accumulated on the roof and walls.
It finally cleared up today, and the sun shone down from the clouds, making the whole yard shine with a dazzling white color.
"Snow is also condensed by water. Since the Black Turtle Seal is a creation of the 'Water God', it can also control snow to a certain extent...but it is obviously much more difficult than controlling water. Why?
It is the same as Is it related to the state of water, or is it because there is a difference between water and snow in people's perception in this world? So, the water god does not fully master the magic related to snow?"
Zhao Duan fell into thought.
After a while.
He shook his head, put away the black turtle seal, and laughed at himself:
"You have to eat your food one bite at a time, don't be too greedy."
......
Zhao Duan walked towards On the way to the dining room, the servants in the house were sweeping snow in cotton-padded clothes and saluted him one after another.
In the dining room.
The stepmother was already waiting, but it was Zhao Pan who yawned and walked in reluctantly.
The girl was wrapped in cotton-padded clothes and not groomed, protesting against the evil habit of getting up early to eat in winter.
“Woof!”
The Pekingese dog raised by Zhao Pan also trembled and ran into the room from the girl’s feet, then waved the broom to Eugene Flower and drove her out:< br>
“How dirty is the snow on the ground?”
The Pekingese huddled up in a ball in grievance, wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
“Just wipe its feet before entering the door next time.”
Zhao Duan smiled, sat down at the dining table, and suggested casually.
Stepmother Eugene Flower sighed softly, and said with some emotion:
“I have heard before that a poor person in winter is not as good as a dog from a rich family, but now I know that there is no such thing. A slight exaggeration.”
Although Eugene Hua was born into a wealthy Xiping Dao family when she was young, her good days did not last long, and she was still an ordinary woman at heart.
Even though in this year, the Zhao family has been turned upside down and has become a new wealthy person in the capital, the family is still far from developing the mentality of an aristocratic and wealthy person.
Zhao Duan sat in a chair, picked up a bowl of hot soup and took a sip without commenting too much.
No matter what era it is, this kind of thing always exists objectively.
“Didn’t my family just receive a sum of money? I asked Uncle Zhao to buy some charcoal and rice. If anyone in the city is in trouble, please help.”
Zhao Duan said.
Half of the dividends from the saltpeter formula went into his pocket, and half went to the gold slips that negotiated business with him on behalf of the Tianshi Mansion.
This left him with enough money to donate appropriately. In fact, wealthy families in the city had a custom of donating alms every winter.
Not to mention the "Shantang" in Dongcheng that Zhao Duan has been supporting, this winter is not only snowy, but also colder than in previous years.
Prices in the city have risen a lot recently, which has no impact on the Zhao family, but it is really difficult for the poor people.
"Well, I've already asked people to get ready." Eugene Huarou said, looking at his stepson with even more emotion.
Da Lang is really different.
While eating breakfast, Zhao Duan casually opened the imperial newspaper that had been placed on the table
——The Yu Dynasty had already had a newspaper similar to the imperial newspaper, which was often made Look at the officials' families and the major yamen.
Somewhat similar to those newspapers and magazines that government agencies at all levels had to subscribe to in my previous life.
Zhao Duan glanced at it, raised his eyebrows, and said:
"Has that holy monk from the Western Regions already gone to Shenlong Temple?"
It has been a few days since the Western Regions mission arrived in Beijing. day.
Zhao Duan is recuperating at home, so he rarely appears in public recently. The empress consciously lowered his presence as a kind of protection.
Zhao Duan also enjoyed his leisure time. The number of trips to the Yamen was greatly reduced, and he did not pay as much attention to the news in the city in a timely manner.
It was recorded in the Di newspaper that yesterday the leader of the Western Region Mission, the Red Sect master "Holy Monk", formally paid a visit to the abbot Xuan Yin of Shenlong Temple.
The description in the Dibao is very sparse, but the amount of information is huge. It mentioned that the "holy monk" issued a letter of challenge to debate scriptures and Buddhism with Shenlong Temple. Shenlong Temple agreed. The time has not yet been determined, but it will be Recently.
"Those monks are not good people. It's best to teach them dog bite dog and make a big joke!"
Zhao Pan commented seriously while eating the meat buns.
Zhao Duan joked:
"You haven't had much contact with him, how do you know that he is not a good person?"
Zhao Pan said matter-of-factly:
"Who could be a good person who wants to harm my elder brother?"
>As for the details of Zhao Duan's assassination, the family members do not know, but they also know that it was Master Gathing.
The mother and daughter had very distinct attitudes. On the same day, Eugene burned all the Buddhist things in the house.
Still unable to understand his hatred, he boldly ran to Shenlong Temple and asked for the money he had donated to burn incense and sesame oil in front of his face...
Zhao Duan was amazed when he learned this. .
But the person involved has a much better mentality.
Especially when Nagarjuna Bodhisattva returned, Abbot Xuanyin punished him a lot. After explaining it to the empress, he did not express his anger, but silently wrote down "Great Purification Master" in a small book. .
……
...
After breakfast, Zhao Duan only wore an ordinary cotton robe and walked to a nearby teahouse.
After listening to the story for a while, I saw the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
Several people went upstairs. Three of the four golden flowers in Lihuatang came today, and only Zheng Laojiu stayed behind.
The three capable subordinates Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and Qian Kerou did not wear brocade uniforms, and they did not even carry weapons. Instead, they were all dressed as servants.
Lao Hou and Lao Shen pretended to be servants to protect the hospital, and Qian Kerou, the confidential secretary, pretended to be a maid.
And the face has been modified to a certain extent, which is a superficial disguise. If you are not a familiar person, you may not be able to recognize it at first glance.
"My lord——"
After the three of them went upstairs, their eyes lit up and they all raised their hands.
Zhao Duan sat at the table and ate melon seeds, spat out a mouthful of melon seed peels, and glanced at them:
"What should you call me today?"
A smile appeared on Qian Kerou's rosy round face. , said sweetly: "Young Master."
Zhao Duan showed a satisfied smile, pointed to the empty chairs, asked a few people to sit down, and then asked:
"I want you to investigate something. What?”
The little secretary Qian Kerou hurriedly took out a piece of information and handed it over:
"Sir, this is Princess Manzhu's movements and movements in the city these days. According to the information we have found, she Today I am going to Dongcheng to donate to the people.”
Zhao Duan dusted off the melon seed shells in his hands and picked up the information to read.
Princess Manju!
Another "aunt" of Zhenbao, a woman of the same generation as Princess Yunyang, the dead old emperor, Prince Jing and others.
To be precise, she should also be called "Princess Da Chang", but both in temples and among the people, they are accustomed to refer to her as "Princess Manzhu".
This princess is quite legendary. It is said that because of her biological mother, she once hated the emperor at that time and was thrown into the cold palace. As a result, Princess Manzhu's status in the palace plummeted and she was extremely unloved.
Later, the head of the Western Region Kingdom proposed marriage. The emperor at that time felt that out of sight was out of mind, so he simply waved his hand and married off this neglected princess who had a very low sense of existence. a bargaining chip for marriage.
It is said that when Princess Manzhu got married, apart from the items required according to etiquette, the only thing that belonged to her was a box of miscellaneous books on farming, craftsmanship, divination, medicine and so on.
As a result, before anyone entered the Western Region, an armed seizure of power broke out in a small country in the Western Region. The prince who was supposed to marry was seriously injured with a scimitar and became disabled.
The moment Princess Manzhu set foot on the land of the Western Regions, her identity became quite embarrassing. She was unable to return to Dayu and find it difficult to establish herself as planned.
At this time, Princess Manzhu showed extremely strong resilience.
She assisted the seriously injured "husband", led his men, and stabilized the situation. After that, Princess Manzhu used her identity as a royal heir to obtain the Buddhist Dharma King of the ancestral court of the Western Regions, as well as the officers and soldiers of the Dayu Dynasty who guarded the border. help.
He helped the nominal man gain a firm foothold, and continued to enhance the strength of his tribe through the many books he carried around him.
It took several years to gradually regain the territory lost after seizing power. And because he repeatedly rescued the people and showed a "people-friendly" image, his reputation in the Western Regions became increasingly stronger.
Later, even if the nominal husband died, Princess Manzhu maintained her original status.
“It’s a bit powerful.”
After Zhao Duan learned about his experience, his first reaction was that he was a powerful figure similar to Zhenbao.
They all lay low and were not liked in the early stage, and then showed their outstanding talents at critical moments.
There is a strange similarity between the experiences of Wenzhu and Zhenbao. In fact, although the aunt and nephew don't get along much, they do have a sense of sympathy for each other.
However, after careful understanding, Zhao Duan overturned this view.
The character of Princess Manzhu is actually closer to a kind of "religious significance" such as a saint or a virgin.
Although he is quite talented, his character lacks the tough and decisive side of Zhenbao, and is more compassionate and empathic.
The temperament is also softer.
The reason why it has a great reputation in the Western Regions is mainly due to its "people-friendly" image and a certain political compromise between Buddhism and Dayu.
Moreover, the so-called "Western Region Country" is strictly speaking a collection of tribes in the Western Region. Princess Manzhu's tribe is only the most powerful one among the many tribes.
The political situation is far less complicated than Dayu, more rough and primitive.
......
"Sir," Qian Kerou, with a round and rosy face in the teahouse, said:
"The last time this princess came back was when the late emperor was on the throne. . This visit to Beijing is nominally to discuss business for next year on behalf of the Western Region Country, but the biggest purpose is to build relations with His Majesty
He has also inquired about you many times in the past few days. If you were not recuperating at home, you would have said thank you behind closed doors. I am afraid that these people still want to meet you. "
Zhao Duan flicked the page with his fingers, threw the information on the table, and said with a smile:
"The person who came here is not evil. ”
Different from the information gathered by Lihuatang, Zhao Duan spends most of his time at home these days, thanking guests behind closed doors, and only talks about being seriously injured and recuperating.
But in fact, it is also Learn about the situation in the palace through the White Horse Supervisor
Sun Lianying, the old supervisor, told him that Princess Wenzhu seemed to be very prejudiced against him and believed that the empress was bewitched by his treacherous minister.
There is a common situation that when a married aunt returns to her parents’ home, she wants to look after her niece and get rid of the bad boyfriends around her...
“Haha, this princess has been in the Western Regions for a long time. If she is right It's okay that I don't know the situation in Yu State and misunderstood me. What I'm afraid of is that my mind is impure..."
Zhao Duan rubbed his chin and said:
"Rather than sit back and wait for death, wait for her to come to you. Come on, why not take the initiative and explore her background?”
Hou Renmeng grabbed his hair with his big hands and said with a ruthless expression:
"Sir, do you want a few of us to secretly tie him up? Then..."
Shen Juan glared at him, Speechless:
"Vulgar. Can you think of anything else besides fighting and killing? Princess Wenzhu is not the eldest princess of Yunyang. She represents the Western Region."
Zhao Du An smiled, took out the disguise mask, pressed it on his face, and slowly transformed into a new appearance:
"Xiao Shen is right. Jianghu is not about fighting and killing. Today we are just going to find out. If he has misunderstandings about me, it is best to resolve the misunderstandings in a gentle way."
The second part of the sentence he did not say was :
If the problem cannot be solved through gentle methods, then Mr. Zhao will have no choice but to use some physical methods to make this "aunt" who intends to eradicate himself wake up.
Although...
As a local leader in the capital, Mr. Zhao is not afraid of a mere married princess.
But as the saying goes, you are not afraid of thieves stealing, but you are afraid that thieves will miss you.
“It’s not enough to be passively defensive all the time.”
However, before that, in order to avoid being too handsome and being exposed at once, he decided to change his identity to contact him.
Ruqing.
After disguising himself, Zhao Duan led three of his henchmen disguised as maids and servants to drive the carriage, its wheels rolling and making two ruts in the snow.
Heading towards Dongcheng.
……
East of the city.
At the intersection of a street near the orphanage where Zhao Duan has donated many times, there was a long queue today.
After hearing the news, the poor gathered around the charcoal shed for winter heating, shouting, holding dustpans and shivering in the cold wind.
Not far away, a carriage drove slowly, and then Princess Manzhu, who was wrapped in a thick cotton dress and took off her jewelery, walked down under the escort of the tall female warrior.
——
Gather 4k chapters and update as normal today. In addition, my request for leave actually prompted a bunch of book friends to vote for a monthly ticket... Sure enough, women and so on can't be compared with brothers!
(End of this chapter)