Oriole Line

, the nobility all over the body is unstoppable.

"Dai Wang." Pu Chen clasped his fists in a military salute, and teased, "Back in Jiankang City, Dai Wang is like a rich and idle king."

Zhou Yu smiled and didn't explain. The last time he sent troops to Wuchang, Zhou had developed a grudge. Afterwards, he returned with a big victory. Although Zhou Yan didn't make things difficult for him anymore, he didn't give him any substantive rewards either.This time he came to Jiankang to attend the New Year's banquet, he was extra careful, and only showed himself as a wealthy and idle king, so as not to arouse Zhou Yan's concern.

"Brother Yi Xing." Zhou Yu returned the salute, and noticed that there was also an extremely handsome young man who came out with Pu Chen, wearing a top-quality silver fox, and his demeanor was forgettable. "This is?" Zhou Yu generously asked Pu Chen to introduce him.

"Wen Tao, he used to be my personal guard, but now he is the head of my family. In Wuchang, thanks to Dai Wang's imperial wine, he saved his life." Pu Chen said to Wen Tao again, "Thank you very much. On behalf of the king."

Wen Tao respectfully thanked him.

A teasing smile flashed across Zhou Yu's face and said: "So this is the most important person of Da Sima."

Pu Chen's face froze, he was in a hurry at the time, he forgot that he had said this, Wen Tao glanced at Pu Chen suspiciously, Pu Chen put on a stubborn posture, neither squinting nor speaking, as if I didn't hear it, but Zhou Yu watched it interestingly, and laughed a lot.

After several people sat down and served tea, Zhou Yu explained the purpose of coming: "What do you think of this New Year's banquet, Brother Yi Xing?"

"It's not surprising that your Majesty follows the old rules. It's just that Nanjing just destroyed Beiyan, and His Majesty Shangshu who I asked for the Northern Expedition has not responded for a long time. Now that I have summoned a group of ministers, I guess there should be an arbitral decision on the matter of Beiyan." Pu Pu Chen had nothing to hide from Zhou Yu, and said what was in his heart.

"Soldiers are precious and fast. If Your Majesty wants to go north, he should have done so long ago. Why wait until today?" Zhou Yu said.

Pu Chen fell silent, and Wen Tao on the side interjected: "But if your majesty has no intention of taking back the old land of the Jing Dynasty, you should reply to Da Sima as soon as possible to stick to Wuchang and not to think otherwise. In these two days, I met a lot of courtiers, and many of the northern princes supported the Northern Expedition, so they could revive their families. Even the homeland of His Majesty's mother family, the Chenjun Xie family, is still in Beiyan's hands. His Majesty doesn't seem to have any thoughts .”

Zhou Yu glanced at Wen Tao appreciatively, he really is a delicate hearted person, and Pu Chen's love for him when he was in Wuchang was not in vain.

"Crack!" Pu Chen slammed his teacup on the case, "Could it be for those aristocratic families to regain the old land of Jing Dynasty? If they hadn't killed each other and ruined Jing Dynasty's national fortune, how could we have settled down?" Nanjing? Now that things are getting better, after repelling Beiyan, they just want to revive their family! They took back the land, so what about the displaced people?"

Zhou Yu said solemnly: "Brother Yi Xing's words are very true. However, if there is no benefit, how can those people in the court support the Northern Expedition for no reason? Besides, Brother Yi Xing has good intentions, I'm afraid Your Majesty..." He didn't continue, Pu Chen can naturally understand.It has always been the taboo of taboos to overshadow the master with great achievements.Pu Chen understands, but Pu Chen is not reconciled.

"Patriarch, the Jiankang Dynasty is complicated. Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to crusade against Beiyan. Even if it is a temporary compromise with the courtiers, it is worth a try. After the old land is recovered, how to allocate the land will be slowly figured out." Wen Wen Tao advised.

Relying on his soldiers and horses to recover the old land, he made wedding dresses for others, restored their manors and food towns, and revived their so-called aristocratic families for those who single-handedly destroyed the Jing Dynasty.Although Pu Chen agreed with Wen Tao's words intellectually, he was filled with bad breath and couldn't calm down.

"In this way, this king knows Da Sima's intentions for the Northern Expedition. At the New Year's banquet, I will speak for Da Sima. If there is a place for the Luzhou Army, it is also a matter of one sentence." Zhou Yu said.

"Last time the acting king has resisted the decree for me, this time it is better not to take any risks." Pu Chen said.

Zhou Yu shook his head: "Brother Yi Xing doesn't need to persuade you anymore when it comes to family and country matters. If you can really recover the old land, this king will be worth the crime."

"Dai Wang's righteousness, I will remember it in my heart." Pu Chen clasped his fists.

Zhou Yu came out from the General's Mansion, he didn't take a carriage, he led a horse and walked along the road with a few personal guards.Under the cold moonlight, a faint halo was left behind.In the halo, a figure appeared, as if he had come here specially to wait for him. His out-of-this-world figure drew a long shadow, appearing reclusive and independent.

Zhou Yu felt that this figure seemed familiar and strange, and when he approached, he realized in surprise: "Brother Sijun, it's you..."

54, 54.

On New Year's Eve, Chaoyang Palace.

Since Zhou Shao became seriously ill in his later years, the palace has not been so lively for a long time.The last time a hundred officials came so complete was a national funeral a year ago, but Chaoyang Palace had just experienced a bloodbath at that time, and all the surviving officials were all trembling and cautious.Now, Zhou Yan has been on the throne for more than a year, and a large number of officials in the court have changed. The so-called new year and new atmosphere, this time the New Year banquet, Zhou Yan has worked hard.

In the spacious Chaoyang Hall, festive lanterns were hung.At this moment, just past the You hour, the sky had already darkened, and the number of candles in the hall was lit several times as much as usual, and the whole hall was suddenly lit up, and against the exquisite carvings on the roof, it looked resplendent and resplendent.Your Highness, the eunuchs and maids are arranging the seats of the officials in full swing, one case per person, filling the entire Chaoyang Palace.

When Pu Chen brought Wen Tao and Tang Yu into the palace, seven or eight out of ten officials in the shop had already arrived.Pu Chen ranked among the three princes, and his seat was in the first row among the hundred officials, opposite to Prime Minister Xie Kun.Pu Chen didn't wear a military uniform today, but a maroon robe court uniform, looking calm and majestic.

Pu Chen walked through the main hall, and all the officials congratulated him on his victory in the Battle of Beiyan. Pu Chen looked calm and dealt with it casually.

"Big Sima." Xie Kun, who was wearing a purple civil official's court uniform, took the initiative to greet Pu Chen.He was tactful and said kindly, "Congratulations to Da Sima for defeating Beiyan, regaining Liangzhou, and beheading Da Shanyu of Beiyan."

Pu Chen said: "It's just the responsibility of guarding the land." Even though Pu Chen was proud, Xie Kun was the prime minister after all, and he spoke highly of Pu Chen, so Pu Chen had no choice but to start a conversation with him.

Wen Tao looked around the hall, and suddenly saw a familiar figure not far away, wearing a civil official's court uniform, his face was still like a full moon, but there was a bit of sharpness in his eyes that Wen Tao had never seen before.

"Qi Dai?" Wen Tao blurted out unconsciously.

Pu Chen was already tired of talking with Xie Kun, and was very sensitive to Wen Tao's voice. Wen Tao's voice was very low, but it fell into Pu Chen's ears without any hesitation.Pu Chen took a look around from the corner of his eye, and indeed saw Qi Dai in court clothes greeting the officials.Judging by his seat, his official position is not low.

Pu Chen pretended to be casual and said: "Hey, isn't that Mr. Qi from Guangling Academy? He who swore never to be an official before is now a leader?"

Xie Kun followed Pu Chen's gaze and praised: "Qi Sijun is beautiful in Jiyue, and there are courtiers in Nanjing like this, it is a sign of prosperity."

"How do you say that?" Pu Chen asked.

"In the past, when the rebellious minister Qi was in power, Qi Dai was unwilling to become an official. Now that the sage is so virtuous, a leader in the literary world like Qi Dai has his own intentions. What's more, his father and brother committed the crime of treason, and His Majesty not only did not convict him With him, instead of allowing him to enter the court as an official, now that the monarch and his ministers are united, how can this not be a sign of the prosperity of Nanjing?" Xie Kun was full of beautiful words, which made Pu Chen's head hurt.

Wen Tao's gaze passed through all the officials, and bumped into Qi Dai. With just one glance, Wen Tao knew that what Xie Kun said just now was all nonsense. Others may have only heard of Qi Dai before, and they didn't know him well. Familiar, but Wen Tao has been with him day and night for several years. When Guangling parted last year, Wen Tao already felt a certain change in Qi Dai, but when I saw him today, he seemed to be reborn. The banishment has become a sword that has been unsheathed, although he still looks kind and natural with a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty is here!" The eunuch announced, and all the officials returned to their seats and bowed down together.

Zhou Yan, who was wearing a dragon robe, came out from the back of the palace. After a year of maintenance, his dark skin has become smoother and whiter. Although he is not tall, he has the air of a king. When he was the prince That obedient and stupid image has completely disappeared, and amidst the praises of all the officials, it seems that the former stupid prince never existed.

"Long live my emperor." All the officials said in unison.

"On this New Year's Eve night, I invite all officials to enjoy the New Year's banquet, to inherit the peaceful world, and to pray for the prosperity of the country in the coming year." Zhou Yan drank a glass first, then cleared his throat, "Today's feast, I will follow According to the example of our ancestors, we entertain all the officials on New Year’s Eve, and take the righteousness of the monarch and ministers. Secondly, I specially use this New Year’s banquet to reward Da Sima.” Zhou Yan’s eyes gathered towards Pu Chen, and he poured out the gold in the golden cup. After drinking a glass of wine, he walked towards Puchen and said, "Da Sima took back Liangzhou, wiped out more than [-] Beiyan's main force in Wuchang, beheaded Beiyan's Da Shan Yu Khalil, and drove Beiyan out of our country. In the land of great sights, I offer a cup to Da Sima!"

Zhou Yan presented the golden cup full of wine to Pu Chen, and Pu Chen took it with both hands, and drank it all in one gulp.

"On behalf of all the officials, pay respects to the Great Sima!" Xie Kun raised his glass and shouted, and there was a burst of "Respect to the Great Sima!"

Pu Chen drank several glasses in a row.Zhou Yan held Pu Chen's hand affectionately, and returned to the dragon chair after rewarding a pile of gold, silver, jade and silk in front of all the officials, showing his affection.

Zhou Yan looked down at Baiguan and said: "Now Beiyan is empty, and my big land in the north is vacant. What good plan do you have to recover the old land?"