Do you know: I’m Xu Jiazi

Outside the house,

the snow that had been falling for several hours since last night has stopped.

The yard is all white.

The weather is gloomy and there is no sunshine,

so the falling snow does not seem to melt.

Under the veranda,

there is a maid in a cloak walking with a tray in her hand.

A gust of cold wind blows,

and the snowflakes are blown down from the top of the veranda and drift towards the maid.

Seeing this, the maid quickly turns her back and protects the tray in front of her.

After the wind blows over,

the maid continues to walk forward.

Near the hall, a little maid opens the curtain at the door. The maid walks into the house and walks a few steps, then stops outside the screen.

At this time, a pair of hands takes the large celadon bowl on the tray and walks into the screen. The hands holding the bowl are slender and white, and it is obvious that they are not doing miscellaneous work such as washing.

Inside the screen,

Amidst the voices of "bringing a woman to Beijing\

,"the large bowl was gently placed on a small table, and then the jade-colored chopsticks were held by the slender white hands, moving around in the large bowl, and pieces of cucumbers with green and juicy skin were picked out and placed on several porcelain plates.

The corners of Zhang's Wu Niang's mouth were shiny with roasted lamb, and she asked with a smile:

"Oh? Sister Li, why is Brother Xu confused?"

When Zhang's Wu Niang asked the question, Yunmu, the personal maid standing next to Chai Zhengzheng, was helping to place the porcelain plate with cucumbers on the table.

Hearing this,

Li's Wu Niang said: "Ah?"

As she said this, Li's Wu Niang looked at the people sitting around the table a little at a loss.

And the girls who came to Zhang's house to participate in the warm stove party, some were looking at her curiously; some were looking at the new porcelain plates, thinking and dazed; some shook their heads slightly and smiled helplessly.

"Xu, Xu's brother, he has a bright future! Bringing a woman back, isn't it, isn't it ruining his reputation?!"

"He hasn't, hasn't even arranged a marriage, but he already has a concubine. Isn't it difficult to get married!"

Li's Wu Niang stuttered, her short-sighted eyes sweeping across the faces of the people at the table.

Seeing everyone nodding in approval, Li's Wu Niang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang's Wu Niang nodded with a smile in her eyes, saying, "Sister Li is right! But, how do you know it's a concubine? What if it's..."

"Dang~"

Someone's chopsticks fell from his hand and hit the dishes.

The sound made everyone at the table look over.

Chai Zhengzheng, who was in a daze, also woke up from his thoughts and looked towards the source of the sound.

Rong Feiyan, who looked embarrassed, quickly forced a smile and said while picking up the chopsticks: "Sorry, sorry, my hand slipped."

After Rong Feiyan finished speaking, everyone's eyes returned to Li Jia Wu Niang. Li Jia Wu Niang and Yu Yanran looked at each other and said:

"Ah? Sister Zhang, you mean. How could it be the legal wife? Could it be that the woman is a girl from a noble family in the north?"

After Li Jia Wu Niang finished speaking,

Except for Gu Tingyi, all the noble ladies at the table looked at the well-informed girl from the Zhang family.

Zhang Jia Wu Niang met everyone's gaze, smiled and shook her head, saying: "No, no, that woman is not a girl from a noble family!"

After speaking, Zhang Jia Wu Niang ignored everyone's curious and anxious look, and comfortably picked up a piece of cucumber and ate it with a crunch.

Sitting next to Rong Feiyan was Rong Xian's sister-in-law, the girl from the Fuguogong Dou family. Seeing the anxious and curious look of the people at the table, she turned her eyes and said:

"Sisters, I heard that the Xu family of Yongyihou was originally from Daizhou. Is that girl the child bride of the Xu family who was engaged since childhood?"

"Dang~"

Rong Feiyan, who was helping the girl from the relative Dou family to pick up food, dropped her chopsticks on the dishes again.

Rong Feiyan was stunned. Feeling the gazes from all around, she frowned and closed her eyes in embarrassment.

Xibu, who was standing behind Rong Feiyan, saw this scene and hurriedly stepped forward, holding Rong Feiyan's hand that was suspended in the air, and said anxiously: "Girl, is your hand cramping again?"

Rong Feiyan, who had her eyes closed, relaxed her brows instantly, closed her eyes and nodded repeatedly, saying: "Hiss! Yes! Help me!"

While speaking, Rong Feiyan's hand was still trying hard to keep moving, and it looked like she really had a cramp.

Seeing this scene, the girl from the Dou family who had just spoken was instantly moved.

While Xibu was stroking Rong Feiyan's fingers,

the girls present all turned their eyes to one person.

Gu Tingyi, who was sitting below Zhang's Wu Niang and picking up the dishes, was holding the cucumber strips very steadily and asked in confusion:

"Why are you looking at me?"

After thinking about it and understanding what everyone meant, Gu Tingyi put the dishes on the small plate in front of him and said calmly:

"I have never heard of any arranged marriage for Brother Xu Wu since I was a child!"

Hearing this,

Hai Chaoyun, who was sitting on the other side of Li's Wu Niang, moved his eyes, and when he saw that no one was paying attention, he loosened his clenched handkerchief under the table.

If she said how much she liked Xu Zaijing in her heart, Hai Chaoyun would definitely shake her head, more of it was gratitude and a little bit of goodwill.

After all, she knew since she was a child that for a family like the Hai family, the girls could never decide their marriages.

Looking at the people who nodded and seemed relieved, Zhang Jia Wu Niang drank a sip of warm wine and continued, "Do you know where the girl was sent?"

Chai Zhengzheng looked at his friend in confusion and said, "Eh? Wu Niang, how come you even know this?"

Gu Tingyi ate cucumber sticks and curled his lips silently.

Everyone sitting at the table nodded and looked at the fifth lady of the Zhang family who was speaking.

"This is me."

The fifth lady of the Zhang family was speechless for a moment, glared at her friend who was causing trouble, and said, "Just tell me, do you want to know?"

Everyone nodded.

The fifth lady of the Zhang family covered her mouth with one hand, deliberately lowered her voice, and said, "I heard that she was sent."

Except for Gu Tingyi, everyone listened attentively.

"Imperial City Si Yamen!"

All the girls at the table: "!!??"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Seeing everyone's expressions of surprise or confusion, the fifth lady of the Zhang family laughed regardless of her manners.

Yu Yanran and Hai Chaoyun, who was equally surprised, looked at each other and said, "Why, why are you sent to the Imperial City Si Yamen?"

"Because that's a spy from Beiliao!"

All the girls had expressions of realization on their faces.

Chai Zhengzheng shook his head helplessly and looked at Wu Niang. He smiled with Gu Tingyi and said, "Sister Tingyi, did you already know this?"

Gu Tingyi, who was calm throughout the whole process, nodded: "Yes! I told her everything!"

"I heard from my brother that the spy from Bei Liao has a very handsome physique and outstanding appearance!"

"If it weren't for someone's persuasion, Fifth Brother Xu would have made the decision to have a commander named He kill the man in the south of Changyuan County to pay homage to him!"

"ah?"

All the girls looked at each other.

"Kill, kill? It's so scary!" The fifth lady of the Li family shrank her head and whispered to Yu Yanran.

The fifth lady of the Zhang family stared at Gu Tingyi and said, "Sister Tingyi, why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Why are people taken from Beizhou to Changyuan County to be killed?"

Chai Zhengzheng asked with some confusion.

Gu Tingyi pursed his lips, feeling a little sad, and said, "Because Brother Xu Wu and my brother were ambushed!"

"Crack."

Rong Feiyan held the chopsticks between her fingers tightly and did not let it fall.

"Ambush? What ambush?"

Chai Zhengzheng asked as calmly as possible.

Gu Tingyi put down his chopsticks, looked at the nervous people, and said, "When my brother and the others returned to Beijing, they were ambushed by spies from the Northern Liao Dynasty in the south of Changyuan County."

"When I went to Beizhou before, Brother Xu once gave a gourd of wine to three people driving donkeys to sell dates. Later,"

"The men and horses were wearing armor, and after a while they charged and killed."

"They were originally going to be escorted to the capital. After seeing those four children, Brother Xu Wu ignored their orders and punished them on the spot."

After saying that, Gu Tingyi glanced at the five mothers of the Zhang family who looked gloomy, and said: "I told you this matter, and it will make you feel bad for nothing."

The girls at the table all looked ugly.

The fifth lady of the Zhang family said: "Then, what should we do with the people who have lost their children? Is this the end of it? I still have some money of my own in my hand."

Gu Tingyi glanced at Chai Zhengzheng who nodded, then looked at the other people at the table, shook his head and said, "No need!"

Hai Chaoyun asked doubtfully: "Sanniang, why don't you use it? If we each give a few, there will be a lot of them. Although it won't help, it can make their lives a little better!"

Gu Tingyi smiled happily: "Those Northern Liao spies who were killed in the south of Changyuan County can be regarded as their military exploits by Brother Xu Wu! My brother said that among them, the rewards of eight Northern Liao spies were converted into silver coins Then it will be given to those four families.”

Hai Chaoyun looked at Yu Yanran, Wuniang of the Li family and others next to him, and said with some trepidation: "Sister Ting Yi, I wonder how much money you have?"

Gu Tingyi looked at Rong Feiyan, the girl from the Dou family, and others who were also curious, and turned his head and said, "Wu Niang, please tell me."

The fifth lady of the Zhang family was nodding her head. After hearing this, there was a lot of relief on her face, and she said:

"In this case, it should be calculated according to military merit: if you kill a Northern Liao cavalry and die in battle, the reward plus pension will be about 220 coins! The reward for the Northern Liao spy may be higher! The taxes in the summer and autumn, the government will also Half off."

Hearing this,

The girls around the table nodded: In this way, an ordinary family will receive more than 400 guan of silver.

This amount of money alone can allow a family of three to live a worry-free life for more than ten years.

While the girls were talking,

The Imperial Palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty,

In the warm palace,

The emperor was sitting behind the imperial court, and beside him stood the chief internal officer and Zhao Zilong, the chief minister of the Imperial City Department.

Not far from the imperial court, standing solemnly was Zhaomeifeng's deputy, Gao Yunqing.

"As you said, it's because the carrier pigeons in the Pigeon House of Beizhou Imperial City were borrowed by the thieves, so the information couldn't be sent back to Bianjing in time."

"Your Majesty, yes! Qie Beizhou's imperial city commander personally said that Mr. Zhang and the bandit leader have a very close relationship!"

"What about the pawns of the Imperial City Division?"

"Back to Your Majesty, the matter was urgent at that time, so the master ordered the villain to take a heavy blow."

Zhao Zilong, who was beside the emperor, explained softly: "Your Majesty, if you strike hard, you will be killed without mercy."

The emperor nodded: "When Zhang Shipan captured the spy from the Northern Liao Dynasty, the spy shouted the so-called call sign of 'Maitreya is alive', but was there anyone else who saw him?"

"Back to Your Majesty, Grandma Feng, the Superintendent of Soldiers and Horses, saw it with her own eyes!"

The emperor sighed deeply, leaned on the chair, and said feebly: "I ordered Pei Yuanchen to demote Zhang Shipan's military position to... Relegated to a pawn, keep him!"

The high official on the side bowed in response.

"You go too! It's been a hard journey."

The emperor waved his hand.

"I kneel down to thank Your Majesty for your compassion."

Gao Yunqing kowtowed.

After getting up, Gao Yunqing walked out of the palace door.

Looking at the imperial eunuch walking slowly at the entrance of the palace, Gao Yunqing was stunned for a moment and quickly walked over.

When Gao Yunqing came up to him, the official returned to his original walking speed.

Gao Yunqing whispered: "Great internal official."

"Well! Sir Gao has worked hard, and you have made great contributions to Beizhou."

"The senior internal official is joking. Compared with Xu Jiawulang and Gu Jiaerlang, the merits of a humble position are nothing!"

The chief internal officer smiled and said: "Master Zhang Shipan, after hearing about what happened in Beizhou, he immediately knelt down outside the palace and begged your majesty to let him suppress the rebellion."

Looking at Gao Yunqing who nodded, the chief minister continued: "No matter what his motives are, His Majesty is a soft-hearted person who misses old feelings! Without conclusive evidence, Master Zhang is at most guilty of dereliction of duty."

"I understand your humble position! We and Brother Jing were indeed a bit harsh. None of the thieves who knew the relationship survived. We should capture the leader of the thieves alive!"

"That's a good thing! I heard that you and Brother Jing came to the palace together?"

"yes."

"Well, there's no need to wait for Brother Jing, he's still at the Empress's place!"

"Thank you, Chief Internal Officer."

After finishing his words, Gao Yunqing looked at the high-ranking official who put down his fly whisk, and said: "I will resign from my humble position."

"Um."

In the Queen's Palace,

The queen looked at Xu Zaijing who was sitting and talking with Zhao Fang with a smile on her face.

In addition to the smile, there is also a lot of appreciation and love for the younger generation in his eyes.

It’s no wonder that the queen has such feelings for Xu Zaijing.

Let’s not talk about the queen’s own pregnancy with Zhao Fang, and the time when Zhao Fang was rescued by Xu Zaijing when she was a child.

That was all a long time ago.

Just talking about recent times,

Because Zhang Shipan served in the imperial guard,

A few days ago, when she heard that something happened in Beizhou, the queen almost broke up with the emperor in order to get Zhang Shipan out of the palace guards and minimize the possibility of Zhao Fang being in danger.

He even said that he wanted to be the queen.

Because of this, when Xu Zaijing came to the palace to persuade him at night, he was angered by the emperor and was ordered to go to Beizhou to check.

Then what.

Something big happened in Beizhou.

If the military resources in Beizhou City were really burned, it would not only be the blood and sweat of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty but also the fighting strength of the Great Zhou soldiers.

It's not that the queen was gloating about this, the incident in Beizhou confirmed her thoughts, but because in the queen's view, what happened to Xu Zaijing was quite "everything is good for me".

Looking at Gu Tingye who was explaining next to Zhao Fang and Xu Zaijing, and Lu Zezong, the eldest grandson of Lian Guogong who was looking around with wide eyes, the smile in the queen's eyes became even stronger.

"Your Highness, the leader of the thieves stepped on the shield and jumped so high!"

Gu Tingye jumped on his feet and continued, looking at Lu Zezong who was listening carefully next to him, and said:

"When I saw this scene, I felt anxious! I understand the power of that long-handled sword! But! I saw the flaw of the thief leader at a glance!"

Zhao Fang and Lu Zezong opened their eyes wide and nodded repeatedly.

The junior eunuch Qingyun even hurriedly handed over a drink to soothe his throat.

After Gu Tingye nodded his thanks, he continued:

"At this moment, Brother Jing and Xiaochen and I had a clear understanding of each other, and they drew their bows and shot at the flaw I saw!"

"Erlang, what is the flaw?"

Zhao Fang asked anxiously in confusion.

"Hey, Your Highness, the flaw is that the thief leader is not wearing chain mail! His armpits are exposed in front of me and Brother Jing."

"No matter how powerful he is, whoosh, with just one arrow, the thief's head was hurt. He couldn't hold the long-handled sword and fell from the air!"

Zhao Fang and Lu Zezong listened intently, nodding their heads incessantly.

"Whoosh! Another arrow shot out from the chest!"

"Whoosh! The third arrow killed the bandit leader!!"

"Oh! It's really wonderful!" Zhao Fang sighed.

Gu Tingye smiled and said: "Your Highness, the excitement is yet to come!"

Zhao Fang handed the tea cup to Gu Tingye's mouth and said: "Say it quickly, say it quickly!"

Gu Tingye had not yet drifted off. After bowing, he said:

"Speaking of which, I have enemies on three sides, but I am looking after Brother Jing's back. How can I relax?"

"As soon as I heard this, I stepped forward and solemnly handed the long sword in my hand to Brother Jing's hand, saying, 'Wu Lang, don't let me take away this enemy-killing sword!'"

"Brother Jing was inspired by me. After nodding his head, he threw the spear with all his strength."

"We went to Beizhou Okura again! Your Highness, guess what?"

Zhao Fang, Lu Zezong and the junior official Qingyun all shook their heads.

"On the high wall of Beizhou Okura, there are more than a dozen fierce thieves standing up. When they see Brother Jing and me, they will call for archers to shoot!"

"However, when they saw the thief leader behind us, they all looked panicked! Some were shocked, while others seemed to be relieved and coughed at this opportunity."

After looking at Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye said: "Brother Jing, why don't you come and talk about it?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head and said: "What Erlang said is wonderful, I'll forget it!"

Gu Tingye looked at everyone in the hall, nodded and said: "Okay! Seeing this opportunity, I immediately exchanged glances with Brother Jing, drew my bow and shot at the frightened men."

"The two of us shot a few more arrows at the thick gate of Dacang. Just when Qingyun next to Brother Jing was about to climb up the wall, someone among the thieves suddenly shouted the cry of 'Great Zhou Wansheng, be loyal to the country' and hacked him to death. Count the people on the sidelines!”

Zhao Fang said: "But the governor surnamed Du?"

"That's right!"

Gu Tingye gave another narration that was very lively like a storyteller in a theater, which made Zhao Fang, Lu Zezong, and even the queen stunned.

When Gu Tingye vividly described the ambush in the south of Changyuan County, and Xu and Gu bravely killed the powerful enemy,

In the palace where the emperor was,

The eunuch who had just finished his work looked at the officials of the Zhou Dynasty who were waiting in the corridor outside the palace, bowed with a smile, and said after waving his whisk:

"My lords, please wait a moment, I will go in and report."

"Thank you, eunuch."

Entering the palace,

After reporting, the somewhat listless emperor nodded and said: "Well, let them in!"

"Announce, all the officials enter the palace!"

After the ministers entered the palace, the emperor ordered them to sit down, and said: "Okay, tell me! Huangfu Aiqing, you go first!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The emperor Minister Huangfu took out a thin booklet from his sleeve, unfolded it and said:

"Your Majesty, according to General Zhang's review, there are 50,000 sets of Wuchui armor in Beizhou's warehouse, each set is worth 45 guan."

"There are 30,000 sets of Zhuqishan pattern armor, each set is worth 40 guan."

"There are 40,000 swords, each is worth 3 guan, 300 wen."

"There are 40,000 strong bows, each is worth 1 guan, 800 wen,"

"There are more than 90,000 bowstrings, each is worth 120 wen."

"There are 50,000 strong crossbows, each is worth 2 guan, 500 wen,"

"There are more than 100,000 crossbow strings, each is worth 140 wen."

As Minister Huangfu spoke, the emperor slowly sat up.

"Eight million bows and arrows, each priced at 80 wen."

"Fifteen million crossbows, each priced at 70 wen."

"."

"Ten thousand military tents, each priced at 70,900 wen."

"More than 2,900 chariots, each priced at 110 wen."

"Seven hundred war drums, each priced at 7,200 wen."

"."

"The above is equivalent to more than 7,172,800 wen in silver."

The emperor nodded heavily, looked at the ministers sitting in front of the imperial desk, whispering and talking, and said slowly: "Okay, my dear ministers, please discuss how to reward them!"

"Ministry of Personnel, Minister Li, you come first."