Tianhuang nobleman

Chapter 64

Qi Xiao had something on his mind, so he brought Zhuangtou here after breakfast while Bai Ren was taking a bath.

Qi Xiao took a sip of tea, pondered for a while and said slowly: "Aren't you a little..."

Zhuangtou fell to his knees with a plop, his voice trembling: "Your Highness... last year there was a drought for a year, so the harvest was not good. I really dare not lie. If you don't believe me, you can ask a few nearby Zhuangzis. It's the same... Forget about natural disasters. After the summer harvest, the imperial court issued a decree to allocate grain to the south of the Five Ridges for disaster relief. People with nobles also have to pay grain, which is not bad at all. The small ones are not as good as the Zhuangzi outside. Under the feet of the emperor, they dare not be sloppy at all , The food harvested in Xia Dynasty is paid for disaster relief tax alone..."

"Who asked you this?!" Qi Xiao laughed, "Get up and talk..."

Last year's accounts Qi Xiao was like a bright mirror in his heart, how could he turn over the old accounts at this time, he knew that he had paid some taxes here, but even so, the prospects here are still good, and Zhuangzi Qi Xiao who really didn't make any money did not. I will give it to Bai Ren, Qi Xiao called Zhuangtou here at this moment, in fact, he remembered that Bai Ren said he likes chickens and ducks before.

Qi Xiao rubbed his eyebrows: "Last year you donated a lot of venison meat, now there are deer in the village?"

Zhuangtou wiped his sweaty forehead and nodded: "Director Jiang mentioned the year before last that His Highness loves to eat venison. We got a batch of venison last year, but probably because of the unacceptable climate, it didn't grow very well. A lot died, and then Li Zhuangtou went to his hometown to find a few old masters to take care of him. After a winter, he probably can support him..."

This Zhuangtou is too afraid of Qi Xiao, Ren Qi Xiao would say a lot of miscellaneous things when he asked anything, Qi Xiao was impatient, frowned and said: "I didn't ask you these things... are there any deer now?"

Zhuangtou was stunned for a moment, and said, "A few does have big bellies, but... it will take more than a month before they can give birth."

Qi Xiao became more and more impatient: "What about the chicken and goose?"

Zhuangtou's legs began to tremble again, he swallowed his saliva and said, "For fear of polluting the eyes of the hot spring, ducks, geese, chickens, chickens are not allowed in the village... It's too cold, and I haven't nested yet this month."

Qi Xiao immediately lowered his face, Jiang Deqing saw that the Zhuang head turned pale with fright, and hurriedly interjected: "It doesn't matter if it's a chicken or a duck, or anything else... His Royal Highness hasn't played in Zhuangzi very much, and he likes it." These little creatures, if you think about it carefully, don’t you have anything else to show respect for?”

Zhuangtou seemed to be pardoned, and quickly kowtowed: "Yes, yes... the rabbits in the little man's house just gave birth to a few litters a month ago, and now they can run and bump, but... is it feasible?"

Qi Xiao reluctantly nodded, and the head of the village hurriedly retreated home to hug the little rabbit.

Jiang Deqing smiled: "Country people are too timid. I haven't seen His Highness a few times. Now I am so happy to see His Highness coming down. I don't know how to flatter you. Your Highness will take care of you."

Qi Xiao didn't care about these things, he said lazily: "I can eat them? One or two are so scared..." Jiang Deqing couldn't hold back a smile, and stepped forward to refill Qi Xiao's tea while boldly joking : "If Your Highness treats them with the same gentleness as when he was a prince, these people below will not be afraid of His Highness."

Qi Xiao sneered without saying a word, and said for a while, "It happens that Bairen is not here at the moment, you write a letter for me and have someone send it to the dark village of the Confucius Temple in the north of the city, I have an errand for them to do."

The people over at the Confucius Temple are Qi Xiao's cronies, and they are not easily used on weekdays. Jiang Deqing frowned and lowered his voice: "Boldly ask Your Highness, what do you want them to do?"

Qi Xiao smiled treacherously and said in a low voice. Jiang Deqing was startled when he heard the words, subconsciously looked left and right, frowned and said: "Your Highness, think twice, if this matter is found out...Let's not say that there must be someone in southern Xinjiang. There is a battle to be fought, and the emperor will definitely seize the opportunity to attack you!"

Qi Xiao said lightly: "Then they have to find out."

Jiang Deqing's heart hurt anxiously: "Why does Your Highness insist on making things difficult for him? Once he leaves, His Highness may not see you again in the future, why bother?"

A look of hostility flashed across Qi Xiao's eyes, and he sneered, "Why? Just because he made me unhappy five times! Do you know? Ever since I heard Bai Ren say that Wen Yu had tried to kill him several times, I ordered someone to kill him. I went to investigate, hehe... I don’t know if I don’t investigate, Wen Yu is timid on the surface, but he is really vicious.”

Jiang Deqing was speechless: "Could it be that there are other things besides the few things Shi Zi said...?"

Qi Xiao's tone was serious: "There are too many..."

"Do you still remember that Bai Ren said that Wen Yu had pushed him off the high platform before? Hehe... Bai Ren would say half a sentence and leave half a sentence. I found out after checking that before that, Bai Ren had been with Wen Yu Living in the same courtyard, such things did not happen once or twice, but that time Bairen was seriously injured, and the princess fought with her life to carry Bairen back to her courtyard. Before that, these dirty things were simply There are too many to enumerate, if it weren't for Bairen Mingda, he wouldn't be able to grow up to the present! Don't persuade me... It's not that I'm harming him, it's that God can't stand it anymore and wants to punish him, and he's just doing justice for the sky."

Qi Xiao leaned on the soft pillow and let out a long sigh of relief, and slowly said: "Also... this is not all to relieve me, the third son of the Lingnan King is only seven years old, and it is not certain whether he can stand upright. Bairen and Wenyu are two, if Wenyu is abolished, Lingnan King will have to think about whether Bairen is still so dispensable."

Jiang Deqing blinked and didn't fully understand what Qi Xiao meant: "Your Highness is saying... the King of Lingnan is afraid that he will die?"

Qi Xiao smiled sinisterly: "No, it's much more powerful than Juehou... Let me ask you, after the Taizu pacified the world, he conferred seven kings with different surnames one after another, and five of them fell from the horse in the next ten years, except for the Lingnan king. Besides, only Zhenbei King Zhang's lineage survived, do you know why?"

Jiang Deqing nodded: "I heard that the old king of Zhenbei accompanied the Taizu to fight the world and left old injuries. His health has not been very good. He passed away less than five years after he became the queen. The first son, Taizu wanted to pass the throne to his son, but before the funeral of King Zhenbei, the son was gone, and the mother who gave birth to the son was a singing girl. The status is too low, the concubine can't bear to inherit the throne, and many officials even knelt down... Finally, in order to quell the material controversy, the Taizu took back the Zhenbei Palace, took away the honor of the hereditary successor, and changed the concubine to be the county king. Ze of the Son of Heaven was killed in the fifth generation, and in the current generation, the Zhang family seems to have only a first-class general left."

Qi Xiao continued to ask: "Before the funeral period, King Zhenbei's son is gone, why do you think?"

Jiang Deqing paused for a moment to understand, and said in amazement: "Yes... yes...", Qi Xiao curled his lips into a smile: "You can't say it."

"The King of Lingnan has never valued Bairen because he is confident and thinks that Wen Yu can also be the heir, but when he knows that Wen Yu can't count on him, he should think about it. If there is something wrong with Bairen, the imperial city You can completely imitate the way you dealt with King Zhenbei back then, and take advantage of the opportunity to take away his hereditary iron hat." Qi Xiao smiled lightly, "I'd like to see...whether he dares to think that Bai Ren is dispensable Yes, the throne can be passed down from generation to generation after the fall of the other six kings of the opposite sex. ...I see what kind of face he will use to meet the ancestors of Dongling."

Jiang Deqing nodded, and after thinking about it, he couldn't help but say what he had been worrying about: "Your Highness, let's not talk about the son, let's just talk about Lingnan... This has always been a serious problem in the imperial city, and every emperor in the past has never thought about it." Thinking about how to cut down the feudal clan, the old slave has always had a heart disease... In the future, His Highness will inherit the Datong, how should he deal with Lingnan? If you look at the way His Highness loves the prince now... I am afraid that in the future, no matter how rewarding you are, it is not an exaggeration, but If you really ask for anything from Lingnan, and then relax the restrictions on Lingnan, the prince will naturally not be afraid when he is in power, but..."

Jiang Deqing made up his mind and continued: "The old slave dares to say that after the son is a thousand years old, there will be a great chaos in Lingnan. The son can be loyal to His Highness for a lifetime, but the dragon has nine sons, and the descendants of the son are not guaranteed. For the sake of the country, Your Highness has to make plans."

Qi Xiao quietly listened to Jiang Deqing's words, then chuckled, "There's no need to worry."

Jiang Deqing frowned slightly, knelt down and said: "Your Highness... this old slave has served His Highness for a few days longer than others today, and then I will dare to ask, how will His Highness treat the son after succeeding to the throne in the future? Make the son the King of Lingnan , thousands of miles away from the son? Or should the son be left in the palace and the Lingnan throne handed over to others?"

Qi Xiao shook his head slightly: "Neither."

Jiang Deqing wanted to say more, Qi Xiao smiled first: "Elder-in-law is getting old, he likes to think wildly, get up..."

Jiang Deqing had no choice but to get up, and Qi Xiao said in a low voice: "When that day really comes, I naturally have a way to get the best of both worlds, but..." Qi Xiao chuckled lightly: "Elder-in-law, you are going to return to Qiu Wei now." Those who have never been a scholar seem to be worried about whether they will enter the middle school or be a disciple, and it is too early to worry."

Jiang Deqing was very embarrassed, and when he wanted to say more, the village head came back just now, Qi Xiao ordered him to come up, and not long after, he saw the village head coming with a bamboo basket made of willow branches, Qi Xiao looked at it with satisfaction and smiled, turned around Turning his head to Jiang Deqing, he said: "Let's talk when you come back, first tell me what I just said."

Jiang Deqing had no choice but to nod his head and make arrangements.

Qi Xiao went to the back to look for Bai Ren, and when he entered the room, he saw Bai Ren turning something in the cabinet, Qi Xiao hissed at the maidservants, the maids knew it, and quietly retreated, Qi Xiao looked inside quietly, and saw Bai Ren turning over something. He took out a small box, opened it, searched for a thin red gold chain, took out the fate talisman he had been carrying in his arms, cut off the tassels, and carefully strung the fate talisman onto the gold chain. After finishing it, he smiled with satisfaction, and put the chain around his neck. The gold chain was neither too long nor too short, just enough to put the life talisman into his clothes.

Qi Xiao watched with a warm heart, and said in a low voice, "Carefully freeze your neck..."

Bai Ren was startled, and then blushed: "Did you see it? I... I don't dare to wear it outside. It's fine at home. When I go outside, others will be suspicious if they see me wearing the same jade pendant as you." .”

Qi Xiao nodded, smiled and handed the bamboo basket in his hand to Bai Ren: "See if you like it."

Bai Ren took it, lifted the willow branches covering the bamboo basket and exclaimed: "Rabbit!"

Inside the bamboo basket was covered with thick hay, on the hay lay four snow-white rabbits, their ears were all upright after the cover was lifted, looking at Bai Ren eagerly, Bai Ren's face was flushed with excitement, and he whispered surprise Said: "Where did this come from?"

Qi Xiao casually made up nonsense: "The servants heard that you are young, so they specially made a filial piety to play for you."

Bai Ren carefully picked up a little rabbit. The little rabbit was only the size of a palm, and it was nestled in Bai Ren's palm so cutely. Bai Ren touched the warm belly of the little rabbit and smiled: "Really!" Soft, His Highness touch..."

Qi Xiao didn't like these things, so he perfunctorily tapped on the rabbit's forehead, and Bai Ren held the bamboo basket so rare that he couldn't do it, Qi Xiao looked at it quietly for a while and suddenly said: "Bai Ren... if you don't let me You have returned to Lingnan, will you miss home?"