“Thank you, Zheng Xiaowei.”

“You’re welcome.”

Chen Guangting took the wine and meat from Zheng Fan and sat by the coffee table to eat.

Zhang Gonggong, lying in the sickbed, licked his lips when he saw this.

He said:

“Give some to this old one, give some…”

Chen Guangting shook his head and said, "I didn't drink any of the bone broth that the Marquis specially prepared for the wounded tonight.”

The Zhenbeihou's family rules were absolutely strict, even harsh.

Except for the female members of the Marquis's residence, the daily food for the rest of the men was the same as that of the soldiers in the military camp. The wounded could get the wounded meal from the military camp, which had more oil and water.

The same was true for guests.

Because the Marquis's residence took the lead in complying, the guests couldn't say anything about it.

The first thing the Marquis himself did after entering the capital was to eat five roast ducks in one go, which was enough to show how bland his usual life was.

Of course, in the eyes of the censors, this was evidence of the Zhenbeihou's "enduring hardship" and "plotting greatly."

"Chen Guangting, this old one wants to eat meat, wants to eat meat, wants to eat meaty meat!!!"

Zhang Gonggong shouted at Chen Guangting.

Chen Guangting still ignored him.

"Chen Guangting, believe it or not, when this old one can get out of bed, I'll have you castrated!"

Chen Guangting wiped the grease from the corners of his lips and said nonchalantly:

"I'd be delighted. I came from the Hanlin Academy. If I really get cut and sent to the palace, you can take a look. Do you think the Directorate of Ceremonial wouldn't give me a position then?"

"Cough cough cough..."

Zhang Gonggong coughed until his face turned red.

When these literati started acting like rascals, even eunuchs couldn't stand it.

It was true that the eunuchs in the Directorate of Ceremonial were all learned, but how could their level compare to that of the Great Yan's recognized literary seeds?

If this Chen Guangting really gave himself a cut and entered the palace, the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial would probably have to make room for him next to him.

Leaving aside everything else, just his identity as the most educated eunuch since the founding of the Great Yan was enough to give him this face!

Zheng Fan took out another lotus leaf parcel from his arms and handed it to Zhang Gonggong, saying:

"This was originally reserved by this humble one for breakfast tomorrow. Gonggong, eat it first."

"Oh, how can this old one be so impolite?"

Although he said he was embarrassed, Zhang Gonggong couldn't wait to open the lotus leaf, break off a chicken leg from the roast chicken inside, and bite into it.

One was a eunuch, and the other was a civil official. Although both could be considered as having unsatisfactory careers, they had always lived a pampered life. Suddenly being reduced to coarse tea and light meals in the Marquis's residence was naturally unbearable.

"Zhang Gonggong, Chen Daren, you eat first. This humble one will go outside to patrol."

"Thank you for your hard work, Zheng Xiaowei."

Leaving the room, Zheng Fan had just walked to the courtyard when he saw the Sixth Prince leaning against the railing, peeling a sand orange in his hand.

"You were right, the oranges here are indeed sweet."

"Your Highness, eat a little less to avoid getting internal heat."

"It doesn't matter. I'm physically weak, so I need some fire to replenish myself."

Zheng Fan leaned over to the other side of the railing.

The Sixth Prince continued to eat his orange and handed Zheng Fan a segment when he peeled the second one.

Zheng Fan opened his mouth and bit the orange.

"Heh, you really are impolite."

"Being polite to Your Highness would only create distance."

"That's the principle. Although I am an idle prince, in these years, the only two people who have been the most presumptuous in front of me are the Junzhu (county princess), and you."

"It's an honor for this humble one to be mentioned in the same breath as the Junzhu."

"Ah, there's no way around it. Even my eldest and second brothers don't get a good look from her.

Back then, when Royal Grandfather was fighting for the throne and lost power for a time, our family was forced to leave the capital, and the previous Zhenbeihou gave us shelter.

At that time, my brothers and I were also young. Father, Royal Grandfather, the previous Zhenbeihou, and this generation of Zhenbeihou were all busy with how to help Grandfather regain the throne.

A group of us children played by ourselves in the Marquis's residence, and we were often taken care of by her, hehe.

Ah, why am I talking about these old, stale things?"

"Your Highness, you smell so fragrant?"

"Oh, you smelled it?"

Immediately afterward,

The Sixth Prince took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Zheng Fan, saying:

"Something made by Western merchants."

Zheng Fan took it, unplugged the stopper, smelled it, and exclaimed:

"The person who can make this kind of thing is really amazing."

"Isn't it? This thing is called perfume, but in my opinion, it's not water at all, it's clearly flowing gold."

"It seems that Your Highness is indeed very knowledgeable about business."

"You flatter me, you flatter me. Relying on the salary silver from the palace, one can't live a very good life. Every day, the human relationships that come and go are not a small amount. If you don't find a way to get some silver to spend, life is really impossible to live."

"But no matter how much silver you earn, in the end, it may become someone else's wedding dress."

"Um, Zheng Xiaowei, we've only known each other for a day, how many times have you advised me to rebel?"

"How can it be called rebellion? You are a prince, and you are qualified to sit in that position in the future."

"But my imperial father has arranged for my second brother. You want me to think about it, which is to let me rebel.

Okay, I'll take ten thousand steps back first.

You instigate me to rebel,

Where's the capital?

Where are your soldiers?"

"Recruiting."

"Where's your military pay?"

"Earning."

"Do you think I look like an idiot?"

"No."

"I'll be honest with you. I really appreciate you. If it were before, I wouldn't mind sponsoring you, at least to let you develop into a warlord in this northern region."

"What about now?"

"Now, it's like throwing money into the water. Tell me, isn't the pork rib fragrant?"

Zheng Fan began to absorb this information.

The Sixth Prince reached out and stroked Zheng Fan's shoulder, wiping the remaining orange residue off Zheng Fan's shoulder, and said at the same time:

"I probably know what you're thinking, but this northern region, don't look at the mixed bag it is now, with various fortresses and warlords standing, but there's really no future anymore.

If you want to get ahead, I'll give you a suggestion, go to the south."

"Does Your Highness mean to let this humble one defect to the Qian Kingdom?"

"............" Sixth Prince.

"Isn't it?"

"Dear brother..."

"My........."

"Stop!"

The Sixth Prince took a deep breath, pointed at himself, and said:

"Zheng Xiaowei, aren't you treating me as a prince of Great Yan at all?"

"This humble one should have misunderstood."

"Hehe, our Great Yan, the north is a desert, and the south has the Jin and Qian Kingdoms. What I mean is that the north is about to become difficult to survive in. You can take the opportunity to try your luck in the south.

Think about it. The desert barbarians, their Zuogu Lihu's tribe was slaughtered, and the Wangting (royal court) didn't even dare to fart, and had to let that Shatuo Queshi come by himself to seek justice.

Now that his body is hanging on the archway, the Wangting still has to send people to beg to take the body back. What kind of merit do you think you can establish here against an opponent who will offer you the other half of their face to be slapped after you slap them on one cheek?"

"But the Jin and Qian Kingdoms seem even more useless?"

"That's different. The uselessness of the Jin and Qian Kingdoms is different from that of the barbarians. Here in the barbarian lands, unless you go to a lot of trouble to destroy its tribe, you won't be able to scrape much oil and water at all;

But the Jin and Qian Kingdoms are different. Especially the Qian Kingdom, that's really a flowery landscape of Jiangnan. As long as you break through their stone defense line, just wandering around in it will be enough wealth for a wealthy man for three lifetimes."

Zheng Fan nodded thoughtfully,

Then he stared straight at the Sixth Prince,

"Does Your Highness mean to let this humble one go south to fight, and then hand over the plundered wealth to Your Highness for disposal?"

"Hmm? That's a good method. No, you're pretending to be confused with me."

"This humble one dares not."

The Sixth Prince stood up, patted his trouser legs, and said:

"Let's just leave it at that. I've pointed out the road for you, and it's up to you to see if you can grasp it. Of course, if you can become Seventh Uncle's apprentice, it's also a way out, but you'll have to be tied to the Zhenbeihou's mansion for the rest of your life.

For a man, not being able to establish a government and build an office is always a regret."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for pointing out the way for this humble one, but Your Highness, even if this humble one is willing to go south, I have no way to do so."

"If you really want to go, I can find a way for you. The youngest son of the Minister of War owes a lot of silver in my gambling house, hehe."

"Then this humble one thanks Your Highness for the promotion!"

"No, wait, wait, this is a huge sum of silver. Once this favor is used up, it's used up. I won't do a losing business.

Our relationship is our relationship, and business is business. Let's keep things separate."

"Your Highness, does this perfume smell good?"

"It smells good, it's a good thing, hmm?"

"This perfume was made by this humble one."

The Sixth Prince immediately showed a smile on his face, staring at Zheng Fan somewhat sternly, and said:

"Are you treating me like a younger brother?"

"My........."

"Ah!"

The Sixth Prince covered Zheng Fan's mouth with both hands, then brought his mouth close to Zheng Fan's ear, and said word by word:

"Zheng Xiaowei, you are so undisguised about your ambition in front of me. Are you really not afraid that I will eliminate you, this ambitious person, for the sake of the Great Yan's stability?"

"Zheng Xiaowei, answer me!"

"Zheng Xiaowei, why aren't you speaking?"

"Oh, sorry."

The Sixth Prince released his hand.

Zheng Fan stared at the Sixth Prince in front of him, and said in the same word-by-word manner:

"Not afraid."

"Why?"

"Because this Great Yan is not yet yours, Your Highness."

A smile appeared on the Sixth Prince's face. He was very satisfied with this answer, but he continued:

"Zheng Xiaowei, let's have a dream, shall we?"

"Uh............"

"Let's have a good dream together first."

"Your Highness, please don't............"

"Let's dream. In that dream, we really succeed one day;

I think it's best for Zheng Xiaowei to first castrate himself now, so that we can be harmonious as monarch and subject for the rest of our lives, and it can also become a good story, so as not to end up in such a cliche of monarch and subject turning against each other."

"Your Highness, you jest."

The Sixth Prince let go of his hand, tidied up his clothes, and said:

"Yes, I jest."

............

"Mother, what's wrong with Yuanhu Shushu (uncle)? Are you going to punish him?"

The Junzhu leaned against the bed, nestled beside the old madam.

No matter how strong and ruthless a woman was to the outside world, she would still reveal her girlish mentality when facing her closest relatives.

The old madam was very well-maintained, and she really didn't look like she was fifty years old. The wind and sand of the northern region hadn't left obvious wrinkles on her face.

"Heh, what does my Li family rely on to establish itself as a family through martial arts and guard the northern border for a hundred years without falling? It relies on the four words 'fearless of death'!

He, Li Yuanhu, has now grown in ability. The Zuogu Lihu first fought ten military formations, his blood and qi had already been defeated, and he went out to deal with him, but he was actually forced back.

Yes, he is one of the seven great generals of my Li family. He is rich, he is prosperous, and he cherishes his life.

On the battlefield, those who dare to retreat without military orders should be beheaded!

Mother didn't behead him, she just punished him. What, do you still think that Mother punished him too severely?"

"How could I? It's just that Yuanhu Shushu has always loved his daughter the most, and his daughter always has to say a few good words for him."

"Loves you? Heh, before your father went to the capital, he ordered the seven great generals not to allow you to mobilize a single soldier or a single soldier to go out, but he, Li Yuanhu, was good. He actually privately transferred three thousand iron cavalry to you!"

"Mother, our family has been bullied to this point. How can you ask your daughter to bear it!"

"Don't think that your mother doesn't know what you mean. The Li family has defended the Central Plains against the barbarians for a hundred years. This achievement cannot be erased by history;

Girl, Mother knows that you are an restless master, and Mother has never thought of letting you learn needlework in a well-behaved manner and wait to marry into your husband's family to be a dutiful wife and mother.

But the Li family's century-old reputation was built by generations of ancestors, and it can't just be destroyed so easily."

"It's that Yan Emperor who is too deceiving. Not only can the daughter not stand it, but the soldiers below have long been filled with righteous indignation."

"Presumptuous! Do you want to anger your mother to death?"

"Mother, your daughter is wrong, your daughter is wrong."

"You can just go and take what you want. A Junzhu (county princess) can't satisfy you. You want to be a princess, don't you?"

"Mother, no."

"Then even a princess can't satisfy you. My daughter can do it, and I'm very gratified that you have such great ambitions. Then you want to be an Empress?"

"Mother!"

"Or, you want to be an Empress?"

"Daughter, no."

"Mother will point you to a clear path. Since the wind and sand of this northern region can't fill your heart, then you can marry into the capital and become the Crown Prince's consort!

My Li family's direct daughter will marry into his Ji family, and the imperial court should let go of my Li family and my 300,000 Zhenbei army a little bit, right?

When your father and the Emperor are gone in ten or twenty years, then you will be in charge of the harem, and you will control the strong forces from the outside. Even if you want to rule the roost as a woman, who can stop you?"

"Mother, your daughter knows she was wrong."

"No, my daughter is like me. Mother knows that you are stubborn in your heart, ah."

Saying that,

The old madam got off the bed, and the Junzhu reached out to help her.

"Daughter ah."

"Mother."

"Mother knows that you are clever, but don't underestimate the people of the world. Don't think that the people of the world are all fools. Especially, don't underestimate your father and the current Emperor.

They were childhood friends."

At this time,

A middle-aged man in armor walked into the hall and knelt on one knee:

"Madam, news has come from the watchtower that the wind has started."

The old madam squinted her eyes and said:

"Pass on my order, don't let a single mouse that crawls in tonight out. Otherwise, all officers above the rank of Dereliction of Duty Xiaowei will be beheaded!"

"Understood!"

The middle-aged general saluted and bowed out.

The Junzhu looked at her mother with some curiosity and asked:

"Mother, what arrangements have you made?"

"Isn't the Zuogu Lihu's remains still hanging outside?"

"It is."

"The body of a Third-Rank martial artist, who killed thousands of troops before he died, is stained with great blood. You say, would those unsightly things in the Wangting's sacrificial hall be willing to just throw such an excellent top-quality body there for nothing?

Those guys have a natural and great interest in corpses. They can't help it."

"Mother, do you mean that they will come to do it tonight?"

"That Zuogu Lihu came as a commoner. Perhaps, from the day he resigned, the Wangting's sacrificial hall has been considering how to recover his body after his death. Maybe they had already made arrangements."

"Mother, you still say that your daughter has a big heart."

The old madam reached out and patted the back of the Junzhu's hand,

Saying:

"Yesterday, his Wangting lost the Zuogu Lihu first, and tonight, Mother will let him break the sacrificial hall again!

This time, Mother will make his Wangting unable to recover its vitality within thirty years!"

"Mother, did Father order this before he left?"

The old madam paused slightly,

Saying:

"Before your father went to the capital, he left a sentence.

He said, before cleaning the house, beat the neighbors first, and you'll be right."

............

Desert,

Yellow sand;

Si Niang (Fourth Sister) sat on the blanket, the boy beside her seemed sleepy, and nodded off from time to time.

Liang Cheng stood there, closed his eyes, as if sensing something.

"Hey, have you sensed it?"

Si Niang asked.

"Sensed it." Liang Cheng replied.

"Heh, that's really interesting. You say, doesn't this sound like eavesdropping on someone's radio call?"

A mysterious force was summoning the corpse to become a shishi (corpse demon), that is, causing corpse change.

And Liang Cheng happened to be a jiangshi (zombie), and the kind of high-level jiangshi with intelligence.

It was as if everyone was already on the same channel, so...the summoning of the corpse was also sensed by Liang Cheng.

"Hey, it's also very boring for people to sit here. What exactly are they saying inside?"

"They are speaking the barbarian language."

"Can you do it?"

"I learned some when I went out recently."

"Then translate it for me."

Liang Cheng nodded,

Started translating,

While translating, he seemed to be imitating the tone in the "audio":

"Return...come...back...return...come...yo..."

Si Niang couldn't help laughing when she saw Liang Cheng translating and singing on this side,

At the same time, he sang along:

"The wanderer who wanders the world..."

————

The previous chapter was 3k words, and many relatives said it was too short, um, let's do it this way, after it's on the shelves, Long will strive for each chapter to be 5k words, and at the same time, it will be more explosive.

The editor asked me the day before yesterday: How did you update so much?

So, there's no way, more explosive updates can only wait until it's on the shelves.

In the previous book, Long took book friends to be salted fish together; not this one, this one Long took book friends to be licking dogs.

Finally, everyone click on the automatic subscription to the next chapter in the upper right corner, it will be on the shelves on December 1st, and there are still two weeks before it is on the shelves.