66Chapter 66: Salted Bird

After selecting the things to be embezzled, Mu Hanzhang asked the left and right guards to help count the things in the treasury one by one and register them. Of course, everyone who saw it got a share. The left guard got a sword and the right guard got a bag of pearls. As for the other two generals, thinking about Hao Dadao's integrity and Zhao Meng's big mouth, the four of them unanimously decided not to tell them.

Jing Shao summoned hundreds of guards to guard the treasury. After counting the items, he left a box of silver and immediately escorted the rest back to Beijing.

In the memorial, Jing Shao directly said that it was a concubine of the Southeast King who killed him. As for the candidate, he wrote the woman who hugged Jun Qing's legs that day.

After resting in the Southeast King's Mansion for more than ten days, after receiving the imperial edict and handling the aftermath, Jing Shao rewarded the three armies with the box of silver according to the imperial edict, and then disbanded the Shu, Hunan, and Guizhou armies on the spot, and led his personal army north to Jiangnan.

After a period of recuperation, Ge Ruoyi's body has recovered as before. She changed into the clothes of a maid and continued to serve Mu Hanzhang. She did not say a word about what she had experienced in the Southeast Palace in the past few months, and Jing Shao and his wife also tacitly did not ask a word.

The weather has become colder, especially when they are walking from the southernmost part to the north, they can clearly feel the cold weather.

Anyway, they are just in a hurry, so Jing Shao no longer holds up his face and gets into the carriage and gets into the bed of his own princess.

Because the weather is getting colder, Xiao Huang no longer needs to be a footrest, but lies horizontally as a warm pillow. But there is a problem with a living pillow...

"Jun Qing..." Jing Shao kissed the neck of the person under him carefully and nibbled gently on the beautifully shaped collarbone.

"Well, no, Ruoyi is outside..." Mu Hanzhang lowered his voice.

"It's okay, let's be quiet." Jing Shao whispered in his ear.

The slightly hoarse voice with hot air sprayed into the ears, and the person in his arms trembled obviously. Jing Shao hooked his lips and leaned over to bite the ear. Then, he saw a hairy claw stretched out, and turned and hooked the Bi Yue Liu Yun hairpin...

Jing Shao: "..."

Mu Hanzhang: "..."

So, Xiao Huang was driven to sleep on the footrest again.

The Jiangnan in December is not as prosperous as in March, but the withered lotus and willows are also interesting.

The city they settled in was called Pingjiang. It was not the largest city in Jiangnan, but it was the most prosperous, and the Jiangnan General's Mansion was here. It was because it was close to the Huainan fiefdom, and the Jiangnan army was also stationed outside the city.

Although the Jiangnan General did not come to greet him, it seemed that he had explained in advance that the Jiangnan military camp had prepared a place for them to camp in advance. Leaving the personal army in the Jiangnan camp and leaving Zhao Meng to look after the house, Jing Shao took his own princess and three generals and went straight to the Jiangnan General's Mansion.

"Brine bird! Get out of here!" Jing Shao started yelling as he entered the general's mansion.

"Your Highness..." The housekeeper who led the way couldn't help but wipe his sweat with a handkerchief from his sleeve. He was shocked by the sudden visit of King Cheng. He had already asked someone to inform his master, so why didn't he come out at this time?

"What are you arguing about!" As soon as he walked into the main hall, he saw a man walking in from the side door. He was tall and stern, and at first glance he looked like a cold-faced scholar, but his voice was full of energy and his steps were steady without making a sound. Hao Dadao quietly made a "master" gesture to the left and right guards.

Mu Hanzhang looked up and felt that the aura around this person was somewhat similar to the first time he met Jing Shao, and he looked like a young man. He thought that he would be at least thirty years old to be a general, but he didn't expect him to be so young.

Jing Shao and the man started to stare at each other as soon as they met, and the housekeeper retreated tactfully.

"Hmph, I came to Pingjiang, but the General of Jiangnan was still sleeping at home. What crime should he be punished for?" Jing Shao looked at him coldly.

"Hmph, Your Majesty called the court official by his nickname. A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. Tomorrow I will report to the emperor. You can kill or chop him up as you wish!" The General of Jiangnan returned the favor without showing any weakness.

Everyone: "..."

Mu Hanzhang couldn't help laughing.

"General of Jiangnan Lu Zhanpeng greets the princess!" The General of Jiangnan turned his eyes to the elegant and handsome man, walked up to him and said with full energy.

Mu Hanzhang smiled gently: "General, you don't have to be polite. Thank you for your help in the business this year."

"Alas, it's too polite to say that. The princess didn't give me a penny less in capital," Lu Zhanpeng said with a smile, "Your Majesty and I grew up together, just call me..."

"Just call me braised bird!" Jing Shao stood beside his own princess and interrupted.

Lu Zhanpeng's eyes widened immediately: "Your Majesty, I am an official appointed by the court. You have insulted me three or four times. A gentleman can be killed but not insulted!"

"Enough!" Jing Shao waved his hand impatiently and threw a sword taken from the King of Southeast to him, "This is a reward from the king. Thank you quickly."

Lu Zhanpeng looked at the sword in his hand, and his eyes immediately shone: "This is a good sword! Your Majesty must have got a better one. Take it out and let me kill myself!"

Jing Shao finally couldn't help laughing and punched the Jiangnan general on the shoulder.

After introducing Hao Dadao and the left and right guards to Lu Zhanpeng, Jing Shao let them go to play by themselves. Hao Dadao followed the housekeeper to the courtyard arranged for rest. The right guard couldn't wait to run out to visit Pingjiang City, and the left guard followed him out silently.

The Jiangnan general was named Lu Zhanpeng. He was Jing Shao's childhood companion. His family was a hereditary general guarding the country. The general guarding the country was different from the title of duke and marquis. Only by making meritorious contributions could he inherit the title. Because he had made great contributions in fighting the Huns together with Jing Shao, he was able to inherit the title, so he became the general of Jiangnan at a young age.

Sitting in the garden of the general's mansion, drinking tea, listening to the two people constantly mocking each other, Mu Hanzhang couldn't help but relax. This was the first time he saw Jing Shao being so unscrupulous in front of officials, which showed that the two of them really had a life-long friendship.

Jing Shao looked at the chattering Lu Zhanpeng, his young face still full of energy. Thinking of the man who was implicated by him in the last life and was stripped of his title and exiled, and had white hair at a young age, he felt as if he was in another world. Even if he was telling his own princess about his embarrassing childhood, he didn't feel angry.

"The prince didn't want to study at that time, and he didn't know a few big words!" Lu Zhanpeng laughed and said to Mu Hanzhang with a beaming face.

When they met for the first time when they were young, the old eunuch said to the third prince that this was the young master of the Lu family. The young Jing Shao asked him what his name was. Lu Zhanpeng had just learned to write his name, so he took a piece of paper to show off and wrote the three big characters "Lu Zhanpeng" on it in a deep and profound manner.

Jing Shao looked at it for a long time, but couldn't recognize it. He was afraid of being ridiculed. He remembered that the eunuch said he was the son of the Lu family, so he read the word: "Lu... Um, bird!" So he was called this nickname since he was a child.

"Alright, alright, you are so embarrassed to use this nickname." Jing Shao sneered, "I am embarrassed to say you, who took the embroidery needle of the palace maid to go fishing, saying that if you catch a koi, you can jump into the dragon gate, but you caught a turtle?"

"How did I know that there were turtles in the imperial garden!" Lu Zhanpeng said unconvinced. He was young at that time and didn't know how to fish with a curved hook or a straight hook. Who knew that he really caught a turtle, and Jing Shao chased him and called him a turtle for a long time.

Mu Hanzhang's mouth twitched when he heard it. He finally understood why Jing Shao was still picking bird nests in the imperial garden when he was seven or eight years old. With such an unreliable companion, it would be strange if he could study well!

"Seriously," Jing Shao coughed lightly, and took out a silver note of 50,000 taels and gave it to Lu Zhanpeng, "We will return to Beijing in a few days, and you buy me a house in Pingjiang."

Lu Zhanpeng took the silver note and asked in confusion: "Buy a house in Pingjiang? Are you planning to live here for a long time?"

"Don't worry about it, just do it as I say." Jing Shao waved his hand and didn't intend to explain to him.

"If you want to build a separate house, just let the treasury allocate money to you. Why do you have to be so sneaky?" Lu Zhanpeng frowned.

"You think the treasury is a bank, take it if you want!" Jing Shao said to him unhappily.

Lu Zhanpeng looked at him, pondered for a moment, put away the silver note, and lowered his voice: "The King of Huainan has always been law-abiding, and the court will also reduce his fiefdom?"

Mu Hanzhang paused while holding the tea. This Jiangnan general seemed reckless and talkative, but in fact he was flexible and thoughtful. He heard the meaning of Jing Shao's words so quickly.

Jing Shao nodded silently. It was only a matter of time before the feudal lords were reduced. Especially the Huainan fiefdom, which was located in the south of the Yangtze River, was very rich, and had strong soldiers and horses. This was the real concern of Emperor Hongzheng.

Lu Zhanpeng frowned: "I have met the King of Huainan once. That person... I am afraid he is not easy to deal with." He considered the words, but could not think of any words to describe that person. After a pause, he only said the four words "not easy to deal with".

Jing Shao slowly curled his lips, swallowed a mouthful of tea, and did not answer. He naturally knew that the King of Huainan was not easy to deal with. Not only was he cunning in using troops, but he was also very cunning. If it were not for the large number of the imperial army, Jing Shao would not have been able to defeat him at that time. The King of Huainan, with fewer troops than him, exhausted his last few years and almost dragged down the finances of the imperial court.

But, sometimes being difficult to deal with is not a bad thing.

Jing Shao smiled and took his princess' hand, and stood up: "It's still early, let's go out for a walk, and come back for dinner in the evening. I want to eat that vinegar fish."

"Do you think this is an inn? Give me money!" Lu Zhanpeng, who was still thinking, was immediately unhappy when he heard this.

"I just gave you 100,000 taels, isn't it enough?" Jing Shao stretched and pulled his princess out.

"That's the money for building a house," Lu Zhanpeng snorted, then reacted and shouted, "What 100,000 taels, it's obviously 50,000!"

Jing Shao hurriedly pulled his princess away.

Since they met, Mu Hanzhang has been smiling all the time, and now he can't help laughing out loud: "You two are really fun together."

"Alas, I can't stay in his house for too long during the day, I will definitely be nagged to death," Jing Shao shook his head, looking at Jun Qing's gentle and elegant smile, and couldn't help sighing, "If I knew you when I was a child, I would definitely ask you to be my study partner." Just thinking about being able to hold the pink and tender little Jun Qing and listening to him call Xiao Shao in a soft and sticky voice, that scene is really beautiful.

Mu Hanzhang was stunned, smiled and shook his head: "I am a concubine's son, I don't have the qualifications to be your study partner." At that time, the Queen was still there, and it goes without saying how high Jing Shao's status in the palace was. If he, a bastard from a marquis's mansion, was asked to be a study partner, it would be an insult to his status as a legitimate son. Moreover, with Jing Shao's temperament, he would definitely not like him to be quiet when he was a child.