lady, please calm down

Chapter 399 You are afraid of her, but I am not!

February twenty-fifth.

Early in the morning, Cai Yuan rode a small sedan to Prince Chu's Mansion on Suimian Street.

There is only one mistress in the Tokyo Palace now, Cai Hua, so naturally she wants to sleep as long as she wants.

After learning about her father's arrival, Cai Hua hurriedly got up and went to the front house to meet him.

The father and daughter hadn't seen each other for a while. Cai Yuan originally missed his daughter, but when he saw Cai Hua's lazy look as she just got up, Lao Cai became unhappy.

"Right now, you are the only one in charge of the Tokyo Palace, and you have to sleep until midnight! You haven't learned a thing about your mother and I's diligent housekeeping style!"

"Where is the sun? The sun has just risen. But dad didn't send anyone to warn people in advance. He came to the door early in the morning, which caught people off guard."

Cai Hua glanced out the window at the red-orange morning glow behind the pavilions, and Ba Ba retorted.

"If you say one sentence to your father, you will have three sentences waiting for you. Do you and Yuan Zhang talk like this at home?"

Cai Yuan, who was originally in a good mood, was troubled by his daughter's indifferent attitude, and his tone became stern.

Seeing that her father was really angry, Cai Hua stopped arguing and took out a pair of fox down kneepads and handed them over.

Cai Yuan, who had entered a fighting state and was about to severely criticize his daughter, couldn't help but be startled. Then he turned his head away arrogantly and said calmly: "I don't lack anything. Just take care of yourself."

Seeing that the old man didn't answer, Cai Hua curled her lips, stood up, walked to her father, and squatted down.

Regardless of whether the old man was willing or not, Cai Hua directly lifted up the front of Lao Cai's gown, and then put the knee pads on his knees outside his underwear. In the ice cave, after standing up for the morning, my legs and feet were numb from the cold. As an old man, you are no better than a young man, so you need to pay more attention. Last winter I took the opportunity to find some good furs in Hebei and made these knee pads. When the weather gets cold in the future, you can Wearing it will make you feel better."

De, his grumbling suddenly turned into tenderness. Looking at his daughter who was squatting in front of his knees and carefully adjusting the knot of her knee pads, Lao Cai couldn't say anything else. After letting out a long sigh, he said gently: "Hua'er, you and Yuan Zhang Fangfang, cough cough, we have known each other for seven or eight years, right? Even we have been married for several years. If it is a physical problem, we should seek treatment from famous doctors. We must not hide the disease and avoid medical treatment."

It's also an issue of heirs. It would be more appropriate for Mrs. Cai or even Cai Hua's two sisters-in-law to talk to her about this matter than Cai Yuan himself.

It can also be seen from this that Lao Cai is really anxious.

He is worried not only for his daughter, but also for the entire Cai family. Just imagine, if the Chu king's line does not have the Cai family's grandson as a blood tie, when the older generation gets older, the relationship between the two families will inevitably drift apart.

This is a very big hidden danger for the Cai family, which is currently particularly eye-catching in the Huaibei family.

Cai Hua ran from Huaibei to Hebei last year because she wanted to avoid her mother and sisters-in-law, who wanted to give birth. Unexpectedly, when she came to Tokyo, even her father spoke out in person.

I can't help but feel a little upset. In today's fashion, women's infertility cannot be said to be a serious sin. At least it can be regarded as failure to fulfill their duties.

Cai Hua couldn't even find a reason to refute.

Seeing that his daughter was silent, Cai Yuan said seriously: "Hua'er, you are already thirty years old, you can no longer..."

Cai Hua could bear it next to her, but she really couldn't hold it back, "My daughter is only twenty-eight!"

Chen Shizhong.

Cai Hua left her father to have breakfast in the house. Since she got married, it was rare for father and daughter to sit together at the same table. Cai Yuan also cherished this rare time. In order not to spoil the atmosphere, he temporarily refrained from mentioning the issue of heirs.

He was a member of the Cai family. When he was in Tongshan, his family didn't have such big rules, and they didn't talk much about "eating without speaking". Cai Yuan asked about Chen Chu's health.

"Did the cold that Yuan Zhang contracted in Hebei happen again?"

"No, he has recovered."

Cai Hua took a spoon and stirred it back and forth in the porridge bowl, but she didn't put the porridge or rice into her mouth.

"Then why didn't you go to court this morning?"

Cai Yuan said strangely. After hearing this, Cai Hua, who was originally absent-minded, raised her eyes and glanced at her father, and said in a very natural tone: "Yang Erlang brought a message last night, saying that the prince slept in the Privy Council room on duty, and he did not go to court this morning. What?"

"Well, Yuan Zhang just returned yesterday. Many courtiers were waiting at Xuandemen this morning, but they didn't see Yuan Zhang. However, His Highness happened to be ill and had to leave the court today without discussing anything important."

After Cai Yuan finished speaking, he suddenly felt something in his heart. He realized that he might have accidentally exposed his son-in-law's lie.

The Privy Council is just outside the imperial city. If Yuan Zhang stayed overnight and was on duty, he would not be able to see anyone this morning, unless he lied.

As a man, Cai Yuan knew very well that the only reason a man could stay up at night and lie to his family was because of the woman next to him.

Before Cai Shangshu and the King of Chu became Weng and son-in-law, they were sworn brothers!

We can't betray our brothers.

I saw Cai Yuan lowering his head and taking a few mouthfuls of porridge, and said vaguely: "It was dark in the morning and there were many people. Maybe Yuan Zhang went and my father didn't see him."

Based on the mutual understanding between father and daughter, Cai Hua had already guessed that her father wanted to help Chen Chu cover up the past when Cai Yuan lowered his head to eat porridge.

After all, the King of Chu had just led his army in triumph yesterday, and he must be the one attracting the most attention in the morning today. How could his father-in-law not see him!

"Daddy does love your precious son-in-law, and he won't hesitate to help him fool his daughter." Cai Hua said in a strange tone.

Cai Yuan's face turned red. He paused for a moment before slowly raising his head and said, "As a father, aren't you worried that you have a big temper and are quarreling with Yuan Zhang?"

A short sentence, but it contains a lot of content. When he was in Tongshan, Cai Yuan naturally looked down on Chen Ma Kuai; but now, the Cai family is clinging to the big tree of Prince Chu's Mansion, and his daughter has always been helpless. out.

He was really worried that his daughter would get into trouble with Chen Chu over these things, which would hurt her and make Lao Wu angry.

Cai Hua naturally understood her father's painstaking efforts, but she heard her say: "Dad underestimates me too much, and also underestimates him too."

This means that Lao Cai underestimated Cai Hua's methods, Chen Chu's mind, and the relationship between them.

The study room of the palace’s back house is known as the Xing Pavilion.

The orioles are hidden in the green leaves, and the swallows are separated by the red curtains.

It's almost noon and it's late for spring sleep.

Last night, Chen Chu was so good at being a teacher that he caught up on his sleep after returning home. He didn't wake up to the sound of birdsong until early noon.

When he turned around, he saw Cai Hua, dressed in a red spring shirt, sitting on a chair about a foot away, looking at him with a smile on her cheek.

"When did Hua'er come?"

"Your Majesty, are you awake?"

The two spoke almost at the same time. Cai Hua smiled. There was a tray on the table next to her and a soup cup on the tray. Cai Hua stretched out her hand to test the temperature of the soup cup, but unexpectedly it was too hot. She quickly retracted her hand.

He whispered "Coffee~Coffee" while pinching his earlobe with his fingers.

According to her, her hands don't hurt this way.

The little movements and expressions of a carefree girl made Chen Chu smile. He sat up from the bed like a carp and said with a smile: "What's in the soup cup?"

Cai Hua heard the words but didn't answer. She walked to the bed with a graceful gait and put the tray on the bed. Then she looked at Chen Chu with a smile and said: "Liao ginseng, deer whip and dog waist soup, simmered on low fire all afternoon. The prince just returned to Beijing yesterday and worked hard all night. He was very exhausted. This soup is very nourishing."

Is this 'working' serious?

Deer whip and dog waist, hearing them makes people want to have nosebleeds

There was something in Cai Hua's words, but she looked natural, as if she really said it casually.

"婳儿."

"Ok?"

"last night."

"Don't talk about it yet. Let me guess. The prince didn't live in the Privy Council last night, right? Hehe."

In fact, the matter of 'living in the Privy Council' last night was really not Chen Chu's instruction, but Yang Erlang, who was not notified in advance and learned that Brother Chen was staying overnight in the palace, lied about it without permission and asked someone to take a message home.

It’s no wonder that Yang Erlang showed his subjective initiative. The main reason is that Cai Hua caught Chen Chu and A Yu in bed and learned from the past.

At that time, he and Xiao Yi were guarding outside the courtyard, and they let Cai Hua in without realizing it.

Although Brother Chen did not criticize the two of them afterwards, when they reviewed the matter, they both felt that they had greatly neglected their duties.

Therefore, this time Erlang took the initiative to provide value-added services to help Brother Chen 'cover up'. Those two dollars of salary simply couldn't live up to Yang Xiaoer's hard work!

"Well, I was there last night."

Chen Chu was determined to confess, but Cai Hua interrupted him again: "Don't tell me! Let me guess. Hmm."

Cai Hua crossed her chest, raised her head slightly, and pretended to think for a while before approaching Chen Chu and lowering her voice: "Did the prince sleep in the palace last night?"

"."

"If I guess correctly, that person is Jiarou, right? Hehe, is the princess's waist soft? Does she smell good? Are you good at serving others?"

"."

He's really a master at catching traitors.

Cai Hua guessed who the other party was just in one morning, not only because she learned that neither Jia Rou nor Chen Chu came to court this morning, it was too far-fetched.

But last year, Jia Rou suddenly went to Huaibei and ran to the palace all day long. Now that I think about it, wasn’t she the one who came to investigate and demand responsibility from men?

However, Cai Hua didn't think about that at that time. Immediately after Mao'er gave birth to twins, Cai Hua focused all her thoughts on the young prince, so that she ignored many details that she should have paid attention to.

It wasn't until this month when she was in Hebei that she saw the edict that said, "After several months of disobedience, the fists are read with great care", did Cai Hua notice it.

Once there is suspicion, it is not difficult to backtrack. Jiarou went to Huaibei in February, and later Chen Chu escorted him back to Beijing. From May to August, Jiarou did not go to court or show up.

Therefore, when Chen Chu confessed that there was already a royal daughter in the palace, Cai Hua, who was mentally prepared, was not too surprised.

Since the conversation on the 25th, Chen Chu, who was responsible for preparing the Qi Jinhe agenda, no matter how busy he was, would change into casual clothes and accompany Cai Hua around the night markets in Tokyo after returning home at night.

At the same time, the imperial doctor and the gynecological experts in Tokyo were secretly summoned to take turns coming into the house to diagnose Cai Hua's infertility problems.

When she was in Caizhou, Cai Hua often saw doctors, so she didn't have high hopes for so-called imperial doctors and holy hands. But she could see from Chen Chu's behavior the latter's unspoken guilt.

On the second day of March, Du Zhaoqing, the Minister of Rites, accompanied the Jin delegation to Beijing.

The envoys of the Kingdom of Jin were Marshal Zuo Supervisor and Prince Wan Yanwu of Qishui County. The deputy envoys were Zhigao, the Zhigao of the Kingdom of Jin, Li Chu, a great scholar, and Gao Qingyi, the Secretary-General of Hongyi Prefecture.

and Han Qixian, the Prime Minister of Nanjing Xingshu Province.

It has always been a big deal for the Jin State to send envoys to the Qi State. Not only did the entire city of Tokyo have to be swept and the roads paved with loess, but the ministers and officials also had to go twenty miles out of the city to greet them.

But this time.

Not only were the welcome guards and loess pavement missing, but even the Qi officials had only Zhang Xingyan, the minister of Honglu Temple, leading three or five green-robed officials as big as sesame seeds and mung beans to greet them outside the city gate.

After entering the city, after the initial habitual panic, the people on the street took a look at the Qi soldiers guarding the streets, and they all calmed down and continued to do what they should do.

There were even some brave ones who dared to glare at the golden man.

Li Chu, who was riding side by side with Du Zhaoqing, had been on a mission to Qi two years ago. Seeing that Tokyo was still prosperous, he couldn't help but bow his hands to Du Zhaoqing and said: "Du Shangshu, your country Tokyo is rich in resources and treasures, and its style is even better than before!"

"Hahaha, it's all thanks to the united efforts of His Highness, the King of Chu, and his ministers that our Daqi is flourishing!"

Du Zhaoqing said this with great joy. For more than ten years, the envoy of Jin had never complimented Qi so politely.

On the other side, Wanyan Wu Dubu was leading the way, still looking scornful in all directions. Du Zhaoqing looked unhappy and asked specifically, "Prince, how is the view of our imperial capital?"

Wanyan Wu Dubu could understand Chinese. When he heard this, he glanced at Du Zhaoqing lightly, but replied in golden language: "Fourteen years ago, when this king came with the Great Jin Heavenly Army, hundreds of officials knelt to welcome him, and three thousand women were sacrificed in the city. The son provides us with pleasure, but Bill and others are much more enthusiastic."

"."

"."

Several deputy envoys looked at each other.

Li Chu, a Han Chinese, represented the Jin Emperor. The Secretary of the Hongyi Mansion, who was born from Gao Qing of the Liao Dynasty, was responsible for diplomacy. Han Qixian, who took the initiative to join the mission to visit Qi, was only thinking about how to bring his nephew, who was detained in the Fucheng prisoner of war camp, to the Qi Dynasty. And many parts are returned safely.

As for Wanyanwudubu, it belongs to the lineage of Hailing King Wanyanliang.

As a member of the Jin Emperor, Li Chu served as deputy envoy in the mission. This shows that after the defeat of Hebei, the situation of the Jin Emperor was not too good.

Among the four, Li Chou and Han Qixian naturally hope that the peace negotiation will succeed, and Han Qixian is the most urgent one.

Therefore, Du Zhaoqing, who did not understand the Jin language, looked over with a questioning look. Han Qi quickly translated: "General Wanyan said that Tokyo City is full of momentum and is indeed a great city in the world!"

"Haha." Du Zhaoqing smiled. He could tell from Wanyan Wudubu's unruly expression that the latter did not mean this, but he did not go into details.

In the final analysis, I have won the victory, so what can you do even if you force me to say a few words?

Is it possible to take back Hejian and Shenzhou with words?

At the end of the day, the Jin Dynasty envoy settled in the Honglu Temple Post House.

Along with the mission, there were two hundred gold soldiers.

The area of ​​the post house is not large. Except for the chief and deputy envoys, who can be assigned to a separate courtyard, the entourage and soldiers can only sleep together with the servants in the big bunk.

Naturally, the Jin people, who had always been Han Chinese in the Kingdom of Jin, were not happy. They cursed and asked Zhang Xingyan, the minister of Honglu Temple, to rearrange his residence, saying: If Zhang Xingyan cannot be resettled properly, they will occupy the houses and shops around Honglu Temple. As a residence.

When a scholar encounters soldiers, Zhang Xingyan can't help but feel a headache because the Jin people are so rough and brave. How dare they live in ordinary people's homes in this important part of the capital!

Although he tried hard to persuade him, he could not be persuaded. A Jinren general pushed Zhang Xingyan away arrogantly and was about to rush out to find a place to live. Zhang Xingyan complained endlessly and hurriedly asked his entourage to notify the Kaifeng government office.

But before the attendant went out, he heard the sound of sonorous footsteps on the street.

Immediately afterwards, two battalions of Huaibei sergeants appeared outside Honglu Temple. The first person was Xiang Jing, the leader of the fifth regiment. He was seen looking at the dozens of golden men who had just poured out of the gate of Honglu Temple with his hands behind his back. , shouted: "The Jin people are cruel and rude by nature. In order to prevent the Jin people from harassing the people of Tokyo, the King of Chu ordered: During the peace talks, non-peace negotiators in the Jin delegation are not allowed to step out of Honglu Temple! Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"

The people who were hiding in the distance to watch the excitement had never seen Qi Guo being so tough. They couldn't help but let out a "wow" and shouted "good luck".

After hearing the news, the envoys and deputy envoys of the mission hurriedly chased them out of the post house. Gao Qingyi stepped forward to negotiate with Xiang Jing and said: The two countries' missions have never allowed the soldiers to move around freely when visiting each other. It is inconsistent with Qi's behavior. It's a rule, but it's not etiquette.

But Xiang Jing held his head high and didn't say anything to him. Finally, he got annoyed and said, "There was no precedent before, but now there is no precedent! Don't tell me the rules and etiquette. I'm a vulgar warrior, listen." I don’t understand. But in Daqi, King Chu’s orders are the rules! If anyone doesn’t believe it, you can take another step forward to see if our swords and guns are sharp!”

Yes, it was a scholar who met a soldier again, but this time it was Gao Qingyi who was offended.

Over there, Li Chu and Han Qixian were urging the Jin people to return to the post house, but how could these people listen to these two Han officials.

Just when the two sides were at war with each other, another Jin man ran out of the post house. This man was Wanyan Wudubu's bodyguard. He whispered something in the Jin man's general's ear. The latter then He glared at Xiang Jing fiercely and returned to the posthouse angrily.

"Look at your dad. If you stare hard at me again, I'll gouge out those tricks of yours!"

Du Tao, commander of the third battalion under Xiang Jing, cursed that the people and officials in Tokyo may still have some fear of the Jin people, but the Huaibei army, which had fought the Jin people with real swords and guns in Hebei, did not. This silent threat from the golden guy.

If it weren't for the King of Chu's order not to actively seek conflict during the peace talks, Du Tao would have wanted to fight these golden captives again in Tokyo.

Seeing that the golden man really retreated like this, the people watching the excitement in the distance laughed loudly and shouted in the spirit of victory: "The golden dog can go back and eat shit. Hahaha."

There was another burst of cheerful laughter on the street.

However, Zhang Xingyan, who had just fallen into the gate of Honglu Temple because of being pushed, quietly wiped away two tears.

Seeing this, the entourage quickly helped the elderly Zhang Xingyan up and said anxiously: "Did your Excellency get injured in the fall?"

Zhang Xingyan wiped away his turbid tears with the sleeves of his official robe, then grinned and said, "I never imagined that I would be able to see the Jin people fear our Qi army in my lifetime. How happy, how happy!"

Soldiers are the courage of generals, generals are the soul of the army, and the army is the prestige of the country!

At this moment, Zhang Xingyan had a profound understanding of this.

This scene at the gate of Honglu Temple is just a small episode.

Both Qi and Jin want to buy some time, so in principle, they don't want to have another war just now that the Battle of Hebei has just subsided.

This conflict is more like a test to compete for a strong position before the peace talks.

But now the officials of Qi State feel that they have their own country's strong army to rely on. Who would be willing to be called a weakling who kowtows to foreigners?

That day, no time.

The diplomatic missions of Qi and Jin had their first contact at Honglu Temple.

Just when everyone in the city was focusing on the peace negotiation, at the beginning of the day, a beautiful woman in red left the Prince Chu's Mansion on Suimian Street in a sedan chair.

Not even three moments later.

In Renming Palace in the imperial city, Jia Rou was sitting behind the big case, holding the sleeping little Mian'er in her arms, having been distracted for a long time.

The peace talks between Qi and Jin had a wide range of implications, so she was naturally very concerned about it.

After a while, Huang Doudou trotted in, bowed and called: "Your Highness."

"But there is news from Honglu Temple?" Jiarou came back to her senses and asked subconsciously.

The envoys from both sides had just met each other not long ago. They had not even finished introducing each other. How could there be news so quickly?

Huang Doudou raised his head, but showed an indescribable strange expression, "Your Highness, there is a woman outside the palace who wants to see you."

"."

The fateful woman is naturally qualified to meet in person, but Jiarou is a little angry. Who has time to chat with those noble ladies over tea at this time?

So she said without thinking: "No!"

Unexpectedly, Huang Doudou did not retreat. Just when Jiarou frowned in dissatisfaction, Huang Doudou said again: "The person coming is the daughter of Cai Shangshu, the official of the Cai family of the King of Chu."

"Uh"

she?

Why did she come to see me?

With Cai Sanji's famous name, Jiarou felt nervous for no reason, but then she lowered her head and glanced at her sleeping daughter in her arms, and felt relieved again.

After she gave birth to her daughter, she also paid special attention to the information about the female family members of the palace, so she had a certain understanding of their personalities.

For example, the virtuous Shuhui of the eldest wife Zhao, the charming and naive concubine Chen, the smart and clever daughter of the Chen family in Yingchuan who is most familiar with Jiarou, and of course the vicious and ruthless Cai.

However, Jiarou had met Cai Hua several times when she was in Caizhou, and Jiarou didn't think that Ms. Cai was intimidating.

Even though Jia Rou guessed that Cai might have come here because she knew about her and Aiqing, Jia Rou was not too afraid. Although this matter was embarrassing, she couldn't eat me!

After Jia Rou finished her psychological preparation, she was ready to let Zhuan Yun go to the palace gate to greet her personally in order to show her concern. When she turned around, she saw Zhuan Yun, Kuo Yun and other female officials from Huaibei sneaking out from the side door at the back of the palace.

"What are you doing! Help me to greet Mrs. Cai."

Jia Rou said a little angry, but even though several people could see that Jia Rou was unhappy, they still stood by the side door and said nervously: "Oh, Your Highness, this slave suddenly feels uncomfortable in his stomach and needs to go to the toilet urgently."

"Yes, yes! Your Highness, this slave is in urgent need of urination."

"Same goes for slaves."

Is this scary?

Jia Rou was furious and saw the intentions of several people, so she couldn't help scolding: "Is she a man-eating evil spirit? She scared you like this just by hearing her name!"

After saying that, Jiarou groaned and turned to Huang Doudou, "Eunuch Huang, please invite people in! You are afraid of her, but I am not!"

In the second year of Xuanqing, at midnight on the second day of March, the first negotiation of the Qi-Jin Peace Conference was held in Honglu Temple.

At the same time on the same day, another negotiation started in Renming Palace in the imperial city between the regent princess of Qi and Cai Shi, the concubine of King Chu.

　This chapter has 6,000 words. It makes up for the more than 1,000 words I owed from the previous two days, okay?

　　

　

(End of this chapter)