C52

On the fourth day of the new year, Zhang Zhou left Hezhou and returned to Beijing. It was not an errand to rush him, but he was in a hurry to do something. After all, he would be heading south after 15 years, so he would be delayed for over a month. It was best to make a move earlier. Even if he couldn't get it done, it would be better to think of a plan earlier.

Fu Xiang was startled when he returned from his duty at the palace. He didn't expect that Zhang Zhou would return so early.

"Why don't you stay in Hezhou for a few more days?"

"I have something to take care of, so I'll be returning first! Uncle, look what new things I have brought you! "

Zhang Zhou pulled Fu Xiang into the room. Fu Xiang saw a plate filled with various meat pieces, vegetables, and other ingredients. It was filled to the brim with a table, but there was nothing familiar about it. In the middle of the table, there was a copper pot.

"What is this?"

"This is a hotpot, a new item. Quickly sit down and try it together!"

Zhang Zhou helped Fu Xiang to his seat and helped him concoct the sauce as he said, "Eat this in the middle of winter. It's definitely enjoyable. I'm sure you'll like it! I even brought back a few jars of new wine, but it's not available on the market. You're definitely the first person in the capital to taste it.

The cooking method of the hotpot was definitely not complicated, but it was still very novel. Furthermore, the food was filled with a warm energy that made Fu Xiang praise it over and over again! To him, Hezhou Lie's tolerance was a little high. This new wine was a lot gentler and more comfortable to drink.

"Uncle, can you help me arrange something? I want to see the empress!"

"That won't be difficult. We can do it tomorrow! You haven't gotten into any trouble, have you? "

"No, of course not. I just want to do some business and see if the empress can help."

"Big business?"

Zhang Zhou shook his head, "I'm not sure yet! I can't even say that I definitely will be able to earn money! "

Fu Xiang's interest was piqued. "Then what are you planning to do?" he asked with a smile. You still want to use the empress's face? "

"It's the northern trade!"

Fu Xiang, who was stuffing food into his mouth, immediately vomited. He ignored the cleaning and stood up. His face was filled with astonishment as he shouted, "You're crazy!"

Zhang Zhou quickly got up to help him clean up the mess, and smiled: "Uncle, why are you so nervous?" You have to listen to what I have to say as well! "

Fu Xiang stopped what he was doing and sternly said, "Little boat, don't joke around with uncle. Tell me quickly, what do you want to do?"

Zhang Zhou pushed him back onto his chair, packed his things, and smiled: "Uncle, I know that our Tang Dynasty does not have any trade with Bei Yan! The entire imperial court kept this matter a secret, but I didn't come into contact with the Northern Yan, but with the Great Prairie! "The Great Sea Prairie!"

Even though Fu Xiang wasn't an official, he had been in the palace for a long time and had come into contact with countless important figures. He knew quite a few things about the palace.

"Little Zhou, you have to understand one thing. His Majesty's greatest wish is to defeat Bei Yan and expand the territory of the empire. Tang Dynasty and Bei Yan's failure to negotiate is an untouchable iron law. Where is the Great Prairie? There was no way to avoid the threshold. It's not like no one has been dealt with in this matter. Just listen to Uncle's words, you can't touch anything in the north! "

Zhang Zhou knew that Fu Xiang was doing this for his own good. After he poured a cup of wine for Fu Xiang, he said seriously, "Uncle, believe me, I wasn't acting rashly. I've been thinking about this for a long time! I must do it! "

"Why? "You already said that you might not even get the silver, what are you after?"

Zhang Zhou naturally had his own thoughts. Firstly, he did not think that such a sealing policy would help the Tang Dynasty defeat Bei Yan. According to his knowledge, the Tang Dynasty had already known very little about Bei Yan due to the blockade over the past twenty years. Furthermore, Tang Dynasty seemed to be overconfident in the defense of the Dragon State border army! In his previous life, there was a world-famous Maginot's Line of Defense. The result was also world-famous. He didn't care about the possibility of a war between Tang Yan and Hezhou. What he was worried about was that Hezhou was too close to Tang Yan's border. Once a war broke out, Hezhou would be the first to suffer. When he thought of this, Hezhou's industrial development had reached a point where it was impossible to migrate. He didn't dare to be as confident as His Majesty! Besides, everyone in the world was confident that it had nothing to do with him. No one would be responsible for his losses. The Great Tang Empire didn't care about getting to know each other, but Zhang Zhou did.

The Northern Six Prefectures could only be considered a small part of it. After all, the salt was in the hands of the imperial government, so he was not arrogant enough to compete with the empire for benefits. So the best selling target was the north swallow and the prairie. Although the construction of Nanping Province had just begun, it was still very important to plan ahead!

Third, the Tang Dynasty had more horses than sheep and cattle, and they were short of fur. The sheepskin was also very important to their future development, so it would bring them huge profits.

Fourth, throughout the history of his previous life, the Prairie Cavalry had always been a disaster for the Central Plains, and they were also armed forces that could not be underestimated in the era of the cold weapons. If he could, he would not hesitate to have the Huyan Family build up a cavalry unit for training. But he wasn't Sima Jingyan, that was impossible!

There was another important point. Presumably, he would never tell anyone in his life. Although his two lives didn't overlap, he still had a feeling that his hometown wasn't in the Tang Dynasty. On the other hand, he didn't have a word of memories with Bei Yan, but this feeling was very strong.

"Uncle, this matter involves a lot of my schemes. For the time being, I can't say it, but you believe me. First, I won't do anything that would let Tang Dynasty down. Second, I'll just try. I won't recklessly charge my knife in. You can help me meet the empress and let me try!" "Okay?"

Fu Xiang looked at Zhang Zhou and knew that he was determined. He sighed deeply and said, "Alright. Remember, you must know your limits. Understood?"

"Don't worry, Uncle. I promise I won't act recklessly!"

The next day, Zhang Zhou entered the Forbidden City with Fu Xiang. After waiting outside the palace for a short while, he entered with a face full of joy as he ran out.

"Uncle, what's the matter?" You've picked up some silver? "

"It's a good thing, of course it's a good thing, but I can't tell you!" "Come, follow me into the palace. The empress wants to see you!"

Along the way, no matter what Zhang Zhou asked, Fu Xiang just didn't say anything. He had really hung Zhang Zhou's appetite.

"This humble subject pays respects to the empress. I wish the empress a thousand years of glory and eternal youth!"

"You are thoughtful! "Get up!"

Zhang Zhou got up, grinning, and said excitedly, "Empress, today this humble subject has encountered an unbelievable event. I finally know what it means to be blessed by the heavens!"

"Oh, what kind of incredible thing happened? Tell me about it? "

"It has only been a few days since this humble subject saw the Empress, and the Empress has become young again! This was too unbelievable! If it wasn't a blessing, what else could it be? Then take a look at this humble official, if even this stubble has come out, doesn't that mean he's a lot older! "

Zhang Zhou had always easily made the empress happy, and this had never happened before in the dynasty. Even Fu Xiang, who was behind him, felt ashamed. After laughing happily, the empress had also taken Zhang Zhou by surprise.

"Zhang Zhou, I want to take you in as my foster son. What do you think?"

Zhang Zhou was stunned, wondering if he had misheard! It wasn't until Fu Xiang had ruthlessly poked him from behind that he finally reacted. He fell to his knees and heavily kowtowed. For a moment, he didn't know how to reply.

The empress did not blame him for his rudeness and asked with a smile.

"Zhang Zhou, I'll take you in as my foster son. Are you willing?"

No matter how much Zhang Zhou transmigrated, he was unable to maintain his calm. This glory caused him to be extremely excited.

"Empress!" "This humble subject doesn't …"

"What?" "You don't want to?"

"That's not it, Esteemed Empress. I … this humble subject, this happiness came too suddenly!" Right now, it feels like a dream! "

Seeing Zhang Zhou's incoherent speech, the empress's smile became even wider.

"Mm, I've thought about this matter for a long time. This morning, Fu Xiang said that you wanted to come back a few days in advance to pay my respects, so I made a decision to take you in as my foster son. I also warned Fu Xiang not to tell you! I intend to give you a surprise! "

"Esteemed empress, this, this surprise is too great, I, I …"

"Since you haven't answered my question, are you willing to!?"

"I'm willing, ten thousand of them!" However, this humble subject does not know what to call the Empress after she becomes her adopted son? "

"Hahaha, you brat, what do you think you are hesitating for! "In the future, just call me mother and call me your son!"

"Imperial Mother, your son has kowtowed to you. May Imperial Mother live a long life to unite the martial arts world!"

"Hahaha, do you want to laugh to death? Hurry up and get up, the ground is very cold, and I'm very happy for you. Go have lunch with your mother and drink a few cups of wine with her!"

"..."

Zhang Zhou told her a lot of interesting stories, which made the empress extremely happy. Finally, Zhang Zhou borrowed the power of the wine and said the words he had been brewing for half a day.

"My Queen Mother, your son has an idea! "I said, if it's not right, mother will just pretend I didn't hear it. That way, I won't have to worry about you getting unhappy!"

"Say it, the Queen Mother is not unhappy with you!"

This is not about this subject being fawning on you, it's about the nation's constitution. We, the great Tang Empire, are the mothers of a nation, and we have to come here to congratulate you, not to be shabby. Mother being so diligent and thrifty, this son truly feels sorry for you, since the princes and brothers are busy with official affairs, but this son has time. Imperial Mother, please help this son do his duty! "

"What filial piety?"

"Imperial Mother, your son knows that there is an item called a carpet that is used to spread on the ground. It is extremely comfortable for people to walk on, and it is of high quality and is of high quality and safe to people!"

"I've heard of that before. That carpet seems to be on the other side of the prairie!"

"Yes, I want to trade with the grassland to get the carpet technology back!"

The empress hastened to say, "That won't do! Tang Dynasty and Bei Yan are incompatible like fire and water. Their relationship with the grassland has long been cut off. His Majesty would not agree to that! "

"Mother, you misunderstood. Even if I lack money, I do not need to take that risk! "Firstly, I am not trading with the Northern Yan, but I want to trade with the Great Sea Prairie. Secondly …"

The empress was also a wise person. She felt that what Zhang Zhou said wasn't without reason, so she hesitated.

"Will it work?"

I feel that my enmity with Bei Yan is not because of my battle spirit, but because I want to swallow her up. Therefore, I feel that it is absolutely possible, that His Majesty would agree to it, and that this matter does not require His Majesty's orders.

"Alright, since it's for the Tang Dynasty, let me give it a try!"

"..."

In the end, Zhang Zhou, who had been waiting at home for news, was summoned into the palace by Zhao Qianyuan. Zhang Zhou was not afraid that it was a lie. This was the first time he had been summoned by the emperor in private, and it was also his first time having such a sensitive thought. He didn't know what the empress had told His Majesty, nor did he know if the emperor had been angered.

The empress sat beside Zhao Qianyuan, but Zhang Zhou didn't even have the courage to look her in the eye. He could only obediently kneel on the ground, prepared to receive the reprimand of the emperor.

Zhao Qiancang angrily said, "Are you going to negotiate with Beyan Tong?"

Zhang Zhou quickly said, "Your Majesty, I, Tang Dynasty, and Bei Yan are irreconcilable. I dare not have such thoughts!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"Your humble servant's business is mainly in the Northern Six Prefectures. I also heard a bit about the Dragon State border! "This humble subject believes that the main reason why I, Tang Dynasty, and Bei Yan have been unable to break the balance for so many years, is not because my Tang Dynasty is not strong enough, but because we have always been insufficiently knowledgeable about the north, and cannot find the enemy's weakness in time, so we cannot take advantage of this opportunity to strike seven inches into account. It doesn't matter, we do not need to pay a bit of money to do business with Bei Yan, but we need to understand Bei Yan.

"Humph, a sixth grade criminal arrest like you dares talk nonsense about national affairs!"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject feels that it is the responsibility of the strong Tang Dynasty!"

"Hmph!"

Zhao Qianyuan let out a cold snort. He scared Zhang Zhou so much that he fell down an inch. Of course he couldn't see Zhao Qianyuan whispering, "Tang Dynasty is powerful and prosperous, a man is responsible!"

When the empress saw the smile on Zhao Qianyuan's lips, she quickly added, "Your Majesty, for Zhang Zhou to be able to produce a song of 'loyalty to the country', it shows that he truly has the heart to repay the country with loyalty!"

Zhang Zhou swallowed his saliva and spoke softly without raising his head, "This subject does not know much about military affairs, but I do know that His Majesty is a wise man. It is only a matter of time before I swallow the Northern Yan, but this humble subject believes that since Your Majesty will handle such a big matter, this humble subject cannot expand His Majesty's territory, but can more or less pave the way for His Majesty's grand plans!" This humble subject may not have the right metaphor! His Majesty had beaten up a jackal, a tiger, and a leopard! This humble subject does not have the ability, but is willing to investigate the situation for His Majesty and for Tang Dynasty.

"Nonsense!" Zhao Qianyuan's tone was still not friendly. However, after listening to him seriously, his complexion became much more relaxed! After thinking for a while, he said, "You can get up! I'll show you something! "

Zhang Zhou did not know what to look for. He stood up, trembling with fear! Zhao Qianyuan got up and personally took out a scroll painting from the bookshelf. He placed it on the table and gently opened it. Then, he carefully pressed it with paperweight. The eunuch beside him did not do anything to help. This showed just how important Zhao Qianyuan was to this item. Zhao Qianyuan shouted at Zhang Zhou, "Come here and take a look!"

Zhang Zhou quickly walked up to him, but he was stopped by Zhao Qianyuan.

"Wipe the sweat off your forehead, don't dirty my map!"

"Oh, oh," Zhang Zhou replied, wiping the cold sweat off his face with his sleeve. He looked at the eunuch who wanted to hand him the towel, and the empress covered her smile. Zhao Qianyuan looked at him disdainfully, but there was no hatred in his eyes.

Zhang Zhou took a closer look and saw that it was a map. This was the first time he had seen the real map of the Great Tang Dynasty. The names of the countries in the Great Tang Dynasty, Beyan, and Xirong, as well as the markings of the prefectures in Hezhou and Longzhou, were vastly different from the maps he had seen in his previous life. However, Zhang Zhou was sure that this map was the best map in the world. He wanted to memorize every single detail, but Zhao Qianyuan didn't give him time to observe. Pointing to the intersection between Tang Dynasty and Bei Yan, he said, "Look, this is the border between us and Bei Yan. This is the Hanhai Desert.

Zhang Zhou was located in three large regions. Strictly speaking, the place that Zhao Qianyuan pointed to was a black line. If the scale of the map was half reliable, then there was no doubt that the passageway was a line.

"One side of this passage is the Great Sea Desert, and the other side is the territory of Bei Yan. Not only is the road difficult, it has probably been buried by sand for the past few years!" Even if it hadn't been buried, the road was still four hundred miles long, and there would be Northern Yan Cavalry at any time! Do you think I have no intention of contacting the grassland and restraining the Northern Yan? The people of the prairie would not act if they could not see the benefits, but it was impossible to do business! On the contrary, it would only bring benefits to Bei Yan! Trade Prairie? "Wishful thinking!"

He lowered his head and silently stared at the direction where Zhang Zhou was, as if he had not heard Zhao Qianyuan's words. Zhao Qianyuan was a little angry, but the Queen gently pulled on his sleeve, causing him to grunt in anger. Zhao Qianyuan sat down and watched Zhang Zhou continue to 'immerse himself in his studies', and after a long while, Zhang Zhou suddenly shouted, "Sure! "Sure!"

Startled, Zhang Zhou raised his head and looked at Zhao Qianyuan with excitement in his eyes. "Sure, no problem!" Suddenly, he realized who the person was. He kneeled down in fear and did not dare to say another word!

Zhao Qianyuan didn't blame him for losing his composure, instead, he asked, "What can you say?"

"Your Majesty, this subject feels that you can give it a try!"

"You have a way?"

"This humble subject does not know if it will succeed, but I feel that there's a high chance of it succeeding!"

Zhao Qianyuan was silent for a moment before saying, "Zhang Zhou, it's impossible to negotiate with Bei Yan or the grassland!"

Zhang Zhou's heart sank when he heard Zhao Qianyuan say, "As for what you are secretly doing, I'll pretend that I don't know!"

Zhang Zhou finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Qianyuan stopped the topic and said, "I heard that the Queen has adopted you as her adopted son! I hope you will cherish it and not disappoint the empress! "

"This humble subject will definitely not disappoint His Majesty and the Empress!"

At this moment, the empress said, "Your Majesty, chenqie almost forgot something great!"

"Oh, what is it?"

"Zhang Zhou wanted the Royal Dance Group to make a tour of the Great Tang Province. He wanted to let the citizens of the world experience His Majesty's desire for good governance. He wanted them to understand the importance of loyalty to their country!"

"Un, that's a good idea!" This Emperor has agreed to it! "

Zhao Qianyuan looked at Zhang Zhou kneeling in front of him, turned around and warmly said to the empress, "Zhang Zhou is very smart and has great potential, but he is too young, so it is hard to avoid his impatience. The empress shouldn't be softhearted, she should at least beat him up! Especially don't let him use your name to stir up trouble and ruin your reputation! "

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Zhang Zhou has said that your concubine will only be addressed in the name of his mother in the Palace. He will not mention it even once we are out of the Palace!"

"Oh?"

The emperor didn't think that Zhang Zhou would do this. He thought for a moment, the corners of his lips curving upwards, and then said to Zhang Zhou, "You're really not bad. Work hard and try to bring this glory out of the Palace!"

After Zhang Zhou left, Zhao Qianyuan looked at the map on the table and ordered, "Men, bring the court musicians over. I want to hear that piece of music!"

Zhang Shuhe looked at the handwritten letter from Zhang Laozhu in his hand. His words were vague, and he found it funny. However, he understood what he meant. Looking at the young man called Mei Changqing, he nodded and said, "Every evening on the 10th, on the west side of the Armaments Mountain, there are only four hours of time. You should pray for good fortune!"

Mei Changqing thanked him and left. After driving the horse out of the camp, he met up with Huyan East Fence who was waiting for him. He nodded, indicating that he had settled the matter.

Then he turned to the north and thought of what Zhang Zhou had said when he handed the letter to him in the capital.

"I can't give you a male soldier's cavalry. I can only give you a chance to take the risk. Success or failure, bring your life back to me!"

Then Mei Changqing asked, "If he failed, would he give up?"

Zhang Zhou grinned, "If you fail, I'll go personally!"

Thus, under the pressure from his shoulder, he ran to the border of Dragon State without stopping.

The scenery of the snow-covered border was magnificent! Zhang Zhou had prepared everything for him, and now that the border army had been opened, he would do the rest!