Chapter 117 The Queen’s Decision

Amidst the loud firecrackers and drum music, Shuxiangmendi Restaurant in Wubenfang reopened. The restaurant was forced to close due to bleak business. Five days ago, a large businessman from Guangling, Huainan bought the restaurant and the twenty acres of vacant land along the river from the original owner for a low price of 6,000 guan, and renamed it as Quan Agricultural Residence.

The opening ceremony was short and frugal. It was noon, and many officials who came here to eat were also attracted by the sound of gongs and drums that opened, but more were the old drinkers from Cuiyunju who came to support him. The shopkeeper of the new restaurant was the original Jingniang of Cuiyunju, a loud sign in Chang'an.

Jingniang stood at the door, wearing a fiery red dress, her blue eyes filled with charming smiles, and she greeted the drinkers who came to support her intimately.

Behind her were two rows of twenty guillos. Their enthusiasm was like fire, which was very different from the general elegant style of this area. They served the guests who came to eat and drink, which made many officials who came to join in the fun have the idea of ​​coming again tomorrow.

After greeting the door for nearly an hour, Jing Niang was really tired, but the opening was good, which made her very happy. She had 50% of the restaurant, but she never understood why Zhang Huan refused to use her true identity. If she was afraid of identity taboos, were there few families in the imperial court who made money when doing business abroad?

Zhang Huan refused to say it, and she couldn't ask again. I guess he had something difficult to say. Jing Niang had been in Chang'an for eight years. She felt like a mirror in her heart, but the two turns of her life benefited from Zhang Huan, and she was full of gratitude for him.

Seeing that there were fewer and fewer diners, she was about to go back to the hotel to rest for a while, a group of soldiers riding horses came from afar. The person in front of him was recognized by Jing Niang at a glance. She was also her former old drinker, Zhu Li, the general of the Longwu Army. Looking at the person behind him, Jing Niang's face immediately sank. It was Cui Xiong, the young master of Fengyun Tower, who had annexed her.

The unhappiness on her face disappeared instantly, and she immediately greeted her with a smile, "I waited until now, and I always felt that there was still someone missing in the future. Now I realized that what I was missing was General Zhu."

"I'm here to support you."

Zhu Li turned over and got off the horse. He looked up at the restaurant and smiled, "I often come to this place. In the future, I am an old customer. Is there a quieter and more elegant room?"

"The Biyunxuan on the third floor is still empty, General Zhu invites you in." As he said that, Jingniang stepped forward and greeted Cui Xiong again, "Welcome General Cui to me for a meal."

Cui Xiong glanced at her chest and smiled lustfully, "Last time, I took special care of them and let you go, how should you thank me?"

How could Jingniang not understand what he meant? She suppressed the resentment in her heart and said lukewarmly: "Welcome to General Cui to come to the shop often. I will entertain you with the best wine and the best dishes."

"The food is just for the most. I want the best woman, so of course you will come to entertain you."

Cui Xiong laughed loudly, and he couldn't help but touch Jing Niang's face. Zhu Li next to him pulled him into the restaurant and whispered: "There are many officials here, be careful that the head of the family will find out."

Cui Xiong had no choice but to go to the restaurant in disappointment. Zhu Li bowed to Jing Niang apologetically and followed him. Jing Niang sighed and went to the kitchen.

The Guannongju Restaurant has three floors. The Biyunxuan on the third floor is the most luxurious elegant room. There is a dining room outside, and there is a small room inside, which allows three or four people to drink and chat. At this moment, Zhu Li and his entourage were drinking and eating in the outer hall, while he himself sat in the secret room with Cui Xiong for a drink.

"Da Lang heard the recent rumors?" Zhu Li poured a glass of wine for Cui Xiong and asked quietly.

"Why didn't you hear that someone said that my head colluded with the Uighurs. The head of the family was furious and was looking for the root of the rumor." Cui Xiong drank the wine and slapped the wine glass, and said angrily: "It's probably the old boy of the Wei family who did it. Although he is not in Chang'an, he is the most suspicious."

Zhu Li poured him another glass of wine and said with a wry smile: "I'm not talking about the Prime Minister, I'm saying that Zhang Huan is the illegitimate son of Prince Yu."

"Can that happen, can you believe it?" Cui Xiong curled his lips disdainfully, "Can a misty crow turn into a phoenix? I don't believe it even if I beat you to death."

"This incident has no effect on us, but it is different for the emperor, Cui Xiang, and Pei Xiang. In the palace incident, more than a dozen families were wiped out and thousands of people were killed. I think no matter whether it is true or not, Zhang Huan could not station in the Daming Palace. This beauty must be Dalang. I congratulate you first."

Zhu Li picked up the wine glass and greeted Cui Xiong with a smile, but put his expression in his eyes without missing a trace.

"Congratulations!" Cui Xiong slapped the table angrily, "My father went to the head of the family to talk about this, but he heard that the head of the family wanted to appoint the position of General of the Tianqi Camp to Duan Shengyun, the son of Duan Xiushi, a playboy, which made people feel very dissatisfied."

Zhu Li nodded secretly. As expected, Cui Yuan had already taken action. He smiled, "If you don't talk about these troubles, come on! I'll give you another cup."

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An hour later, in Cui Yuan's outer study, Cui Xiong told Cui Yuan a word of the conversation between him and Zhu Li. He finally said: "According to the head of the family, I told him that Duan Shengyun would be the General of the Tianqi Camp, and he would no longer talk about this matter."

Cui Yuanqing stroked his short beard and nodded, "This time you did a good job and made progress. Your task is to continue dating him and tell me everything he said."

Cui Xiong nodded in agreement, and hesitated and said, "He asked me to go to Pingkangfang tonight to have flower wine."

"Go! You might as well drink flower wine."

When Cui Yuan saw him walking away, she couldn't help but smile coldly and said to herself: "Zhu Li, you are still far from fighting with me!"

He walked slowly in the room with his hands behind his back. This morning, he received news from Hedong that Zhang Ruohao was critically ill and that Zhang Ruohao died. The new head of the Zhang family was too experienced. His father was a mediocre person and could not suppress those ambitious uncles at all. Besides, there was a fierce eyeing Zhang Potian. Hedong would inevitably be in chaos. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to seize Hedong.

But the Pei family in Hebei will not miss the opportunity. There are also Duan Xiushi of Anbei. Could it be that the three families will divide the Jin Dynasty?

No! Cui Yuan shook his head gently, and he looked at Baiyun in the distance with his hands behind his back, Zhang Ruohao, Zhang Potian, Zhang Huan, Li Shi, Pei Jun, Wei Yan, one by one, one stark opponent slid across his mind like a lantern. They seemed to be messy and unrelated, but Cui Yuan used a thread to thread them together, and this thread was Hedong.

Cui Yuan suddenly sneered coldly. As long as he was willing, the opportunity would always be in front of him. He immediately turned around and ordered: "Prepare the car and go to the Daming Palace!"

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"Jump!" Cui Xiaofu smiled and hugged the emperor and jumped on her lap.

This child is Li Miao, the legitimate grandson of King Qing. He is now adopted by Cui Xiaofu as his son. Not long ago, he was just made the crown prince. Li Miao is only three years old. He is white and fat, and is extremely lively, which makes Cui Xiaofu laugh.

Cui Xiaofu is nearly forty years old and has no children. Like all women, her desire for children has always been a pain in her heart, but unlike other women, she doesn't want just one child.

"Aunt, why doesn't this little guy speak?" Cui Ning asked with a smile.

"Aren't you the same thing?" Cui Xiaofu glanced at her and smiled, "The little guy talked less, this is called wise and stupid. Then what is the name of not speaking? Is it called lovesickness serious?"

"Aunt!" Cui Ning saw that Cui Xiaofu was joking with no one in front of him and behind him, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed and pinched her quietly.

Cui Xiaofu smiled and stopped teasing her. She kissed the little guy hard, and she couldn't help but love her more and more. At this time, the wet nurse beside her couldn't help but smile and said, "I think the prince and the empress are very similar."

"Oh! Is that right?" Cui Xiaofu smiled and turned around and asked, "Tell me, how come he looks like me?"

"Well! The prince's skin is very white, which is very similar to the empress. His eyes also have a curved smile like the empress. Many people say that the prince is simply born to the empress."

"What did you say?" Cui Xiaofu's smile had not gone away, but her eyes had already become cold. She glanced at the talkative wet nurse and asked lightly: "Who arranged for you to be a wet nurse?"

"I deserve to die!" The wet nurse knelt down suddenly, she could already feel the dissatisfaction in the queen's tone.

"If you ask and answer this question, you won't die." Cui Xiaofu suddenly realized that this wet nurse didn't seem to be the one she arranged. She restrained her inner suspicion and tentatively said: "I seem to remember seeing you in the Sishou Palace, right?"

Princess Sishou is Zhang Liangdi's niece, and they have a very close relationship.

The wet nurse's eyes were panicked, and she immediately denied: "I am from Prince Siqing's mansion, so it has nothing to do with Prince Sishou."

"Is that true?" Cui Xiaofu saw the little change in her eyes. She sneered coldly: "Then I will go to King Siqing to confront you now. If you are not, then I will peel you off!"

The wet nurse was so scared that her face was pale. She suddenly kowtowed repeatedly, "Greetings, please spare me! Queen's, please spare me!"

"Aunt, don't scare the child." Cui Ning next to her couldn't help but persuade Cui Xiaofu. She sighed in her heart. The palace struggles have always been cruel and ruthless, and the superiors are intrigues, but the poor servants are in trouble in the end.

"Oh! Don't be afraid, little baby."

Cui Xiaofu patted the child lovingly, and she smiled gently at her wet nurse and said, "Tell me! This is actually not a big deal, but I don't like lying people. As long as you tell the truth, I will spare you this time.

"I, I am indeed a person in the Sishou Palace." The wet nurse's voice was so low that she could hardly hear it.

Cui Xiaofu's eyes gradually narrowed. She knew that the woman in Tai Chi Palace would not let her do what she wanted. As expected, she was vicious and secretly replaced the prince's wet nurse. Needless to say, if she didn't find out today, the prince would definitely die of sudden illness one day.

"I understand, you go down first!"

The wet nurse wiped her cold sweat and hurriedly stepped back. When Cui Xiaofu saw her walking away, she turned around and winked at the confidant eunuch beside her.

The eunuch understood, and Cui Xiaofu smiled and said to her sweetheart: "Come on! Let me dance another one for Wei Niang."

"The emperor is here!" A long shout from the eunuch came from outside the door. Cui Ning was startled. She immediately said to Cui Xiaofu: "Aunt, then I'll avoid it first."

Cui Ning had already discovered that his emperor's uncle looked at him a little wrong. Although he was still kind and gentle, a hint of hatred always burst out from time to time in his eyes. Cui Ning was a very smart woman. She immediately guessed that this was probably related to the emperor's tour of Taiyuan some time ago. Although she was not sure what Li Shi would do to him, in order to protect herself, she rarely entered the palace. Today, because Cui Xiaofu specially summoned her, she went to the palace to visit the queen.

Cui Xiaofu looked at her in surprise, but nodded. Cui Ning flashed and hid in the bedroom.

Cui Xiaofu handed the prince in her hand to the palace maid beside her and rushed to the door to greet her. Li Shi walked to the door surrounded by dozens of eunuchs and palace maids.

"I welcome your Majesty!"

"The queen is exempt from gifts!"

Li Shi waved his hand and smiled, "I just went to see the emperor and said that he had been taken away by the queen, so I will chase him all the way."

The Li family has been in a mixed mood these days. It is because he has received a secret report from Taiyuan Yin Han Yannian. Zhang Ruohao's illness worsened and the people of the Zhang family are already preparing for his funeral. If Zhang Ruohao dies, Zhang Can will inherit the head of the family. He has promised himself that once the head of the family takes over, he will first give up more than a dozen northeastern counties in Hedong, including Yunzhong County, Shuo County, Dai County, etc. to Duan Xiushi's garrison. This is equivalent to opening the northern gate of Hedong. In this way, it will be natural for his own army to occupy Hedong.

But the worry was that he heard a news today. The rumors in Chang'an city that Zhang Huan was actually his elder brother's illegitimate son, which made him unable to believe it anyway. However, he also knew that these so-called market rumors were spread by people with ulterior motives, and they were both trustworthy or unbelievable.

But this incident brought out the old debts from sixteen years ago, which made him feel very unhappy. He has been ascending the throne for sixteen years. Is there anyone who wants to change the world?

At this time, Cui Xiaofu had already carried Li Miao to Li Shi and said with a smile: "Emperor, some people say that the emperor looks like me, what do you think?"

Li Shi pinched the little guy's chin and whispered: "It's the same, as the queen's skin."

"Your Majesty, you..." Cui Xiaofu's face suddenly turned red. She looked at the distance between the palace maids on both sides, and then laughed in a low voice: "Your Majesty is careful to be heard by the historian. If the emperor grows up in the future, he will be a joke."
To be continued...