The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 174 Show it with weakness and lure it with bait

 Lifting the brocade curtain in the guest room, the smell of wine suddenly hit my nostrils. In the bright candlelight, I saw Pei Xingjian sleeping on his back on the outside of the big cypress bed in the room, with one foot hanging on the edge of the bed.

Liuli walked quickly to the bed and saw that his face was flushed and he was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed. She had to put aside her original doubts and bent down to move his feet to the bed and put them there. She pulled up the quilt and turned around. After a brief wash in the outer room, two maids from the Qu family have brought additional hot water and sobering soup.

After sending all the maids away, Liuli twisted the hot towel, walked to the bed and wiped Pei Xingjian's face and hands carefully, put down the towel, and was about to spend some effort to help him wipe the half-dressed shirt. He took off his wrinkled robe, lowered his head and just unbuttoned the first button. When his back was tightened, he fell into an almost fiery embrace.

Pei Xingjian’s voice was low with a smile, “I never knew that my Liuli family was so virtuous.”

 He is pretending again! Liuli couldn't help but feel angry and funny, and punched his chest hard, "You're coaxing me again!"

Pei Xingjian said softly, "Why did I coax you? Those Xizhou officials came over to toast one by one. I drank two or three liters at least. If I don't pretend, I will really be drunk. Is it possible?" Let you face a drunkard on your first night in Xizhou? "

Liuli thought about it and couldn't help laughing, "Why do you make yourself smell like alcohol?"

Pei Xingjian let her go, stood up and took off his robe, throwing it aside far away, "I just spilled some wine on the robe."

Liuli stood up to bring him sobering soup. Pei Xingjian held her down and drank it in one gulp. Then he poured a glass of water to rinse his mouth. Then he got back on the bed, held Liuli sideways in his arms, and let out a long breath, " Your body is finally warm."

Liuli's heart suddenly felt soft. During those ten days on Haidao, her feet were as cold as ice cubes. She didn't dare to touch them, but every night he would put his feet in his arms to warm them up... She He said softly, "Hmm," "Xizhou seems to be even hotter than Chang'an." Speaking of which, Chang'an is not cold now. It is the coldest month of the year and there will be ice. I didn't expect it. Xizhou is actually a bit warmer, which is good news for someone like her who is afraid of the cold.

Pei Xingjian's fingers slid through Liuli's long hair, "It's originally hot and windy here, otherwise we wouldn't have to dig into the ground to live."

 Is this digging into the ground to live? Liuli had already made plans to live in a cave dwelling before she came, but it turned out that a house with two floors above ground and underground in Xizhou was much better than she had imagined. "I think this house is warm in winter and cool in summer, which is not bad." Moreover, the windows are extremely high and the walls are extremely thick, so the sound insulation and heat insulation effects must be very good.

Pei Xingjian remained silent. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Just as his lips were about to move down, Liuli's heart moved and she turned away from his kiss. Pei Xingjian couldn't help but be startled.

Liuli looked up at him, "You are with Prince Qu today..." It's not that she doesn't believe Pei Xingjian, but she has no intention of burying the doubts in her heart just because she can't express them for a moment - if the seeds of doubt are not crushed in time, maybe she will It will grow wildly into a thorn with a poisonous thorn.

Pei Xingjian looked at Liuli's serious eyes, and the smile on his lips slowly faded, "Did he say something about asking his maids to take care of my bathing?"

Liuli nodded, "He said that his maid is different and you will never forget her."

Pei Xingjian's face darkened and he snorted coldly, "He told you that? Maybe...it's true!"

Liuli looked at Pei Xingjian in confusion. There was no uneasiness in his expression, but it was mixed with anger and ridicule. What was going on?

Pei Xingjian looked down at Liuli and sighed, "It's actually nothing. Don't be afraid to say it."

Fear? Why should she be afraid? Liuli became more and more puzzled.

Pei Xingjian's voice became lower and lower, "It is indeed his four maids who are taking care of my bathing today. You also know the rules of the maids in Chang'an who are taking baths. They have to fetch water and wipe their backs. I saw that they were doing the same thing, so I I asked them to go out, but these people knelt down without saying a word. I asked them to get up and talk, but..." He paused, "They raised their heads and opened their mouths, but half of their tongues were cut off. ”

Four young women knelt on the ground and raised their heads and opened their mouths slightly, revealing half of their horrible tongues that had been cut off... Liuli felt a chill in her mouth, and her body couldn't help but tremble. Pei Xingjian hurriedly hugged her tightly, like coaxing her. He patted her back gently like a child and said in one breath, "Don't be afraid, just listen to what I have to say. I was also frightened at that time, so I had to let them wait for me to take a bath, but these maids rolled up their sleeves , I discovered that their arms were also covered with old burns and whiplash wounds, layer upon layer, shocking..."

Thinking of Qu Chongyu's gentle and elegant smiling face, Liuli felt cold all over her back, and couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "Bastard!" No wonder Pei Xingjian looked bad, anyone who saw such a terrifying scene , and found that the kind, gentle and considerate prince was actually so sinister and perverted. Under this contrast, it was difficult to calm down.

Pei Xingjian's voice was filled with sarcasm, "Actually, it's not him who's the bastard, he's just too smart."

What's the meaning? Liuli glanced at Pei Xingjian in surprise, and he smiled reassuringly at her, "Don't worry, if I'm right, these things have nothing to do with Qu Chongyu."

"You also know that I grew up in Hedong Duke's Mansion until I was ten years old, and I was used to seeing the maids of the eldest princess Linhai since I was a child. I have carefully looked at the maids of Qu Chongyu. Although they look timid and cautious, they are absolutely incompetent. There is no such panic as walking on thin ice. Besides, I have been fighting with Agu and my mentor, so I have seen some external injuries, and the injuries of those maids are definitely not from the past year and a half. Where did you buy it? The bluffing effect is really good."

Liuli blinked in confusion. These maids were bought by Qu Chongyu. Was Qu Chongyu just deliberately scaring him? He had already seen it. In other words, he even pretended to look uncomfortable when he walked in? Pei Xingjian smiled and lowered his head to kiss her eyes, "If you look at me like this again, I won't be able to speak anymore!"

Liuli pushed him funny and said, "I saw that you looked bad, and I was worried all night. It turns out that you are just trying to coax people!"

Pei Xingjian smiled faintly, "Since someone is deliberately trying to scare me and expect me to behave myself from now on, wouldn't it be very unwise if I didn't become a little lost because of this?"

Liuli thought about it and couldn't help but sigh, "What on earth does that peacock want to do?"

Pei Xingjian was silent for a moment, with a warm smile on his face, "No matter what he wants to do, since he is so dedicated, even you have to take care of me, I will be a good guest and let him have a good time." day!"

Such a smile! Liuli was silent for a moment. She still knew how scary Pei Xingjian's smile was. Every time someone provoked her, he would...thinking of the angry look on his eyebrows just now, a warm current slowly surged into her heart. Rubbing his chest, "What's so annoying? I won't believe his nonsense. He probably just doesn't like me. But you shouldn't be careless. This is his place after all..." The peacock laughed. He was too arrogant and proud. It didn't look like he was plotting, but more like he was deliberately trying to **** her off.

Pei Xingjian lowered his head and sealed her lips. After a while, he whispered softly, "Don't mention him again."

"You are not allowed to think about anyone or anything now, Liuli. I have endured it for more than ten days..."

Before Liuli could speak, she was kissed more passionately than usual. Soon, let alone Qu Chongyu, she couldn't even think of herself. In her heart and body, only the gentle and gentle person in front of her was left. A domineering man.

　　…………

 “Liu Li.”

 The familiar soft voice in her ears made Liuli drowsily open her eyes. Pei Xingjian's smile was so close that Liuli rubbed his eyes in discomfort and blurted out, "Why didn't you go to court?" Suddenly, he received a gentle flick of a finger on his forehead, "Silly Liuli!"

　　I was so sleepy! Liuli rubbed her forehead and glanced outside. The light pouring in from the tall window was quite bright, "What time is it?"

Pei Xingjian said nonchalantly, "It's past Chen time, right? I just heard some noise outside. It seemed like someone was visiting."

 It’s already so late? Are there any guests coming? Liuli was about to get up, but Pei Xingjian held her down gently and shook her head, "No rush." ​​The smile on his face was a little faint, "I just drank too much."

Liuli looked at him doubtfully, feeling that it wasn't that simple. There was indeed faint movement coming from outside. She didn't have Pei Xingjian's ears. She really couldn't hear who it was. She thought it was either a lady or the peacock. . She finally got up and put on her clothes one by one, but Pei Xingjian still leaned on the bedside, smiling and pointing to the robe thrown aside.

Liu Li shook her head and smiled, then got up and went to the ground, opened the door and asked A Yan to find a new robe. Xiao Tan then replied that Prince Qu had just come here and left just now, saying that he would come back later to disturb her.

 It is indeed him! Are you here to test the success of provoking discord? Liuli couldn't help but snorted.

After the two of them had finished washing up and having breakfast, Qu Chongyu appeared at the door with a smile as expected. Pei Xingjian hurriedly stood up and took a step to greet him, "I heard that the Crown Prince had been here early in the morning. It would be rude to keep the promise."

Qu Chongyu glanced at him with a smile, "Why are you so polite today as you promised? It was my fault that I didn't restrain those boys yesterday, so I let you drink too much."

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "My colleagues are also enthusiastic." His expression was as gentle as usual, but his eyes were slightly lowered, intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Qu Chongyu's gaze.

Qu Chongyu's smile became even more determined, and he looked at Liuli again, "Chongyu talked nonsense after drinking last night. I was rude. Madam, please don't blame me."

Liuli was furious in her heart, but she had a sweet smile on her face, "What are you talking about! The prince is worrying too much. The prince meant well. I should just thank you for keeping my promise. How can I dare to blame you?" With that, he walked to Pei Xingjian's room. Beside him, he gently pulled his sleeve, "Shou, you say yes or no, huh?"

Pei Xingjian smiled and said nothing, and Liuli covered her mouth and started laughing. Qu Chongyu felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. Looking at her blushing cheeks and sparkling eyes, he thought of what happened in the morning. The couple was still lying down, but they understood a little bit in their hearts. They couldn't help but secretly let out a sigh of bad luck, and had to laugh twice, and quickly changed the topic, "It's okay, Madam, if you don't mind, Chongyu came here because he wanted to Let me ask, you also saw the situation around the Protectorate yesterday. Do you have any plans to settle down now?" Before Pei Xingjian could say anything, Liuli smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trouble. We are already in Qu." We have built a house in Shuifang and we are moving there today.”

Qu Chongyu couldn't help but be stunned, and after thinking for a while he said, "Qushui Square? Most of the people in that shop are Hu merchants. As a promise-keeper, isn't it inappropriate?"

Liuli smiled with crooked eyebrows, "Really? That's exactly what I want! I won't mind if I keep my promise, what do you think?"

Pei Xingjian smiled and nodded. His smile was somewhat awkward, but Liuli didn't realize it at all. He said with a smile, "I heard it's the closest place to the market place, so it must be very lively and convenient." Then he looked at Qu Chongyu with a flash of eyes, "Your Majesty, that song Is Shuifang far away from the government office?”

Qu Chongyu almost wanted to take two steps back, but he endured it and said with a smile, "Fortunately, we are three squares away."

Liuli nodded with satisfaction, "That's good! After all, Xizhou is only that big, and you only have to walk a few steps to the Yamen to keep your promise. Keep your promise, let's go over and have a look now, okay?" With that, he pulled Pei Xingjian's sleeves. , turned around and asked Qu Chongyu with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you want to come with me?"

Qu Chongyu hurriedly shook his head, "I still have some chores to do today, so why not bother me later. If you have any difficulties, just ask someone to come and let me know."

Pei Xingjian nodded and smiled, his attitude a little more distant and respectful, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liuli sighed with a regretful drawl, "Why is the prince so busy? If you go with us, all the supplies there will be available, and you can treat the prince to a light meal at noon. Speaking of which, it's good to keep your promise. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten my food.”

Qu Chongyu could only say, "It won't be too late to get it in the future."

Liuli covered her mouth and laughed again, "It's a deal! Your Majesty, what do you like to eat?"

Qu Chongyu paused and then said, "Chongyu has no preference." Seeing Liuli blinking and asking more, he hurriedly said, "Chongyu won't disturb you two anymore. You guys are busy first. There is no need to see me off." He hugged his hands and turned around to leave. , the pace was obviously more than a beat faster than usual.

Seeing the curtain fall and the sound of boots quickly disappear, Liuli walked into the inner room with a sullen face. As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't help covering her mouth and burst into laughter. Pei Xingjian followed her in and stretched out his hand to press her against his chest. Smiling and rubbing her head, he said, "Young devil!" He whispered again, "I'm afraid Qu Chongyu has a vindictive temper, so you'd better not offend him."

Liu Li raised her eyebrows proudly and smiled, "What is he repaying? Do you want me to treat him to dinner?" The **** peacock was disgusted yesterday, but today he wants to see a joke again. If she doesn't feel disgusted and goes back, who knows what trouble he will make in the future?

　　…………

In the side hall of the Duhu Mansion, Qu Chongyu sat heavily on the high stool behind the desk. Feng Piaopiao, who was waiting in the side hall, was about to hand over the envelope with both hands. Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but stood up in surprise, "Prince? Pei Changshi, he..." Did Pei Changshi and his wife actually embarrass the prince?

Qu Chongyu frowned, "Pei Shouyue has bought a house in Xizhou, in Qushui Fang."

Feng Piaopiao raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was close to the market place and was where Hu merchants gathered. No officials in Xizhou lived there yet. The houses in Xizhou were no better than elsewhere. The alleys were deep and strangers were conspicuous. If there are no adjacent houses, it is really difficult to arrange manpower... In this case, it is indeed difficult to control their whereabouts.

She thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't matter. Let's see where they settle. I'll ask someone to come forward and buy a small house nearby. I just don't have it urgently. It just takes some time."

Qu Chongyu waved his hand impatiently, "It's up to you."

Feng Piaopiao looked at Qu Chongyu's expression carefully and said softly, "Your Majesty, there is something Piaopiao said that I don't know whether to say or not."

Qu Chongyu raised his head and glanced at her calmly, Feng Piaopiao did not dare to hesitate, "Piao Piao also paid attention to it along the way. Although Pei Changshi has a good demeanor and is worthy of being a son of a famous family, his temper is somewhat cowardly. Naku Mr. Di, on the other hand, is articulate and has a indulgent temperament. He is not like a person from a city at all. Although Pei Changshi's derogation is indeed a bit strange, I am afraid that the inside story may not be related to our Xizhou. It is not a big mistake for the prince to be a little cautious. But there is no need to worry about these two people like this."

Qu Chongyu was silent for a long time, nodded, and Feng Piaopiao added, "Piaopiao also asked about it at yesterday's banquet. Kudi's conversation was mediocre, and he knew nothing about poetry or genealogy. It’s just showing off that she once entered the palace to serve the nobles. This kind of woman has already won the favor of the nobles in the palace, so what should she be afraid of?”

Thinking of the charming face that was dazzling in front of his eyes just now, Qu Chongyu couldn't help but frown again and snorted heavily. Not only was it vulgar, it was simply...

Feng Piaopiao looked at Qu Chongyu strangely. The prince hated women most in his life for being talkative, clingy, and coquettish. However, this Kudi and Pei Changshi were newly married, so it was normal for her to be like this in front of her husband. , how could the prince be so unable to suppress his anger? She couldn't help but said, "Such women are common in the world, why should the prince get angry over this?"

Qu Chongyu couldn't help but be stunned. Indeed, what happened to him? These days, he often gets angry easily over such a vulgar fan. Is this what he usually does? Rubbing the center of his brows, he closed his eyes and pondered for a while, and suddenly a flash of realization flashed through his mind: he might have seen his younger self in Pei Shouyue, and it was also the same with such a nasty woman around him. There was nothing he could do... He couldn't help laughing at himself, and his mind suddenly returned to calmness. When he opened his eyes, his eyes were clear and waveless, "Have you come here because Chang'an's residence has copied it?"

Feng Piaopiao breathed a sigh of relief and handed the envelope up with both hands, "This is the latest copy."

Qu Chongyu opened the envelope, took out a few pieces of jute paper, glanced at it, his expression suddenly changed slightly, and slapped the paper on the table with a "snap".

Feng Piaopiao's eyes widened, but she didn't dare to ask. After a while, Qu Chongyu raised his head and smiled coldly, "The imperial court is really going to change." Then he pointed to the newspaper, "In the middle of October, the emperor will After the edict was abolished, at this moment, I am afraid that Wu Zhaoyi is already the empress of the Tang Dynasty! In August, Li Yifu was demoted to Pei Shouyu, in September he was demoted to Chu Suiliang and Xu Jingzong was promoted, and in October he was abolished and the queen was established. The emperor is unstoppable this time. In the future, the Tang Dynasty’s court will never be able to do anything that Grand Lieutenant Zhang Sun will do again!”

 Feng Piaopiang said "Ah", "Then let's..."

Qu Chongyu nodded, "The money that my father and uncle invested in Captain Changsun has naturally been wasted since then, but now that we are in Xizhou, it is not like the imperial court can pinch it as it used to! "

Fengpiaopiao frowned and asked, "Your Majesty, in your opinion, does this matter have something to do with Pei Changshi coming to Xizhou?"

Qu Chongyu was silent for about half a cup of tea and breathed out, "I'm afraid I thought wrongly. Looking back now, there have been signs of this in the court since July. I didn't pay attention to it at the time. I just thought it was a temporary incident. As time goes by, if this is the case, and the Western Turks rebel, it might be possible for the emperor to find a reason to send someone to monitor Xizhou and us, but I didn't expect that the emperor would actually be serious this time, so even though Pei Shouyu is here! It’s extremely strange, but it’s probably just a coincidence.”

Looking at Feng Piaopiao's still somewhat puzzled expression, there was a hint of sarcasm in his smile, "In the heart of His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, if our little Xizhou is compared with Captain Changsun, I am afraid that even Sesame Not at all! How could he still have time to come up to Xizhou when he was attacking Taiwei vigorously?"

Feng Piaopiao suddenly nodded and said softly, "In this case, do we still need to pay attention to Pei Changshi?"

Qu Chongyu said calmly, "Having said that, there is no big mistake in being careful. I will give instructions when the chief registrars arrive later. The official office will still act according to the previous arrangements. As Pei Shouyue is a long history, it stands to reason that He is said to be in charge of Xizhou's government affairs. If he is allowed to do well, who will have the final say in the future of Xizhou? Haven't we had enough of being looked down upon by others after so many years in Chang'an? "

Feng Piaopiao smiled and said, "No one but Piaopiao can comment on government affairs. What I want to ask is, what should be done with the palace maid named Liu? Now she only wants to ask Pei Changshi to help her find her family, but If she refuses to tell me clearly, I can only arrange her in my own home first, but this is not a long-term solution. "

Qu Chongyu pondered for a moment and sneered, "Today I brought several house deeds to the guest courtyard. They are all the courtyards in Chang'anfang. Since Pei Shouyue can't use them, let her live in the smallest one there." Just stay in the courtyard. If Pei Shouyue knows what happened yesterday and has done nothing wrong, we don't have to worry about it anymore. If he refuses to stay calm, we will have to be a man."

 Feng Piaopiao responded with a "yes". Qu Chongyu stopped talking. He picked up the dichao and read it ten lines at a time. After reading it and thinking for a moment, he raised his voice and said, "Here comes someone!"

An official came in in response. Qu Chongyu threw the residence copy into his hand, "Make an extra copy, and when Pei Changshi comes to the office, I will give him a copy."

Feng Piaopiao looked at the official's back, and then at Qu Chongyu. Qu Chongyu said calmly, "The Queen Wang has been deposed. Naturally, it is not good news for us, but for Pei Changshi, it is only Worse still, his only hope for returning to Chang'an is his wife, who is said to be very favored by Wu Zhaoyi. I'm afraid he will be more afraid of her in the future than he is now."

Feng Piaopiao nodded and smiled, "Piaopiao will go and settle the palace maid."

But Qu Chongyu suddenly remembered something and said, "Wait a minute." He pondered for a moment and laughed, "How could I have forgotten this!" His eyes became bright, "They will live in Qushui Fang. , Of course it’s because of Anjia! Anjia... isn’t the official paper used by our government better? Now that the people of Xizhou are taxed so heavily under the land equalization system, we should also increase revenue and reduce expenditure!”

Feng Piaopiao was confused for a moment and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, are you going to pose a problem to Pei Changshi?"

Qu Chongyu glanced at her with a smile, "No, I'm going to throw out a bait. He has to eat it or not. As long as he takes this bite, he won't have to worry about him slowly following my fish. Go away!"

   The competition for pink tickets this month has been fierce since the beginning. Uh, please go pink...Alan will be very diligent this month...

 (End of this chapter)