C53

The singing and dancing group of Yao Tai also received the order to tour the various states of the empire. Zhang Zhou decided to let Qian Jin lead the team this time. After all, Yao Tai was busy right now and Mei couldn't leave. Although the singing and dancing group was being escorted safely by the royal family's army, he still sent more than a hundred 'guards' to accompany them. Since it was the public spending money, he had to take advantage of them. There were less than twenty of these 'guards' who met the standard. The rest of them were no-name army formed by all kinds of talented people, led by Lu Fang City, who took this opportunity to inspect the state's business situation, inspect the foreign state's business environment, and four or four 'poach corners and rob talented people'.

The so-called 33 Prefectures wasn't something that every prefecture would go to. Rather, it would select the prefectures with more concentrated population and convenient transportation according to their region. Otherwise, with the current traffic conditions, the singing and dancing troupe wouldn't be able to complete the 33 provinces in just a few years.

As for the Black Tiger Camp that was going to accompany Wang Nan down, a small episode occurred before they set out. On the way home after drinking, he fought with a group of people. Three guys were seriously injured and left in an alley, their assailant's whereabouts unknown.

Fighting like this was very common, but Zhang Zhou, as the vice commander of the battalion, was extremely furious after learning that his subordinate had been beaten up. He led his men to search the streets and alleyways for several days, but still couldn't find the culprit. He was so frightened that Xu Huanyi personally came out to comfort him, promising that when he returned, he would definitely catch the murderer and give him an explanation. As for the real killers, they had already gone with Lu Fang City to travel all over the country.

On the seventeenth day of the first month, Zhang Zhou and Zhang Xingzhi followed Han Zhen and led a battalion of soldiers to wait for orders at the pier of Riverside County.

The route this time was not complicated. Taking a boat and following the Jing River (the Tang Dynasty's only main river from north to south), they entered Lake Lotus, headed east to Rongshui, and landed at the Lianzhou Pier. After another day, they would arrive at the main road, almost 90% of the way on the water. The Lu family had rented twenty five-meter long ships in the Nine Prefectures. As for the Ping Wang, he was riding on a Royal Navy's warship.

After a series of cold words, he ordered each team to capture and board the three boats provided by the Han family. Their duty was to protect the Ping Wang, as they were not together with the Lu family's fleet. They needed to leave the dock and wait, in order to be able to protect the Ping Wang dragon boat at any time.

The ship was improved, mainly by changing the bow of the ship, from the previous square, under the water line into a cone, to reduce the forward resistance. In addition, on the artificial power, there was a gear set installed, from hand oars to stepping on the oars, raising the sails, strengthening stability, and so on. All these improvements greatly increased the speed of the ship, especially against the current, making it much easier to move forward. The ship was two decks high, and there were more than sixty people living on it. The space was not too spacious. No one could do anything about it, nor could anyone complain about it.

Although this team could not be as powerful as the ones in Hezhou, they could be considered under their control with the support of Wang Sheng, Wei Dazhi, and Liu Manzhou's old brothers. And for these subordinates, the new boss not only didn't accept the gift, but also gave each of them a hundred big red packets, such as there were less than twenty people who truly met the standard. The rest of them were no-name army made up of all kinds of talented people, led by a team from Lu Fang City, who took this opportunity to inspect the state's business situation, inspect the foreign state's business environment, and four of them even 'poached and robbed talented people'.

The so-called 33 Prefectures wasn't something that every prefecture would go to. Rather, it would select the prefectures with more concentrated population and convenient transportation according to their region. Otherwise, with the current traffic conditions, the singing and dancing troupe wouldn't be able to complete the 33 provinces in just a few years.

As for the Black Tiger Camp that was going to accompany Wang Nan down, a small episode occurred before they set out. On the way home after drinking, he fought with a group of people. Three guys were seriously injured and left in an alley, their assailant's whereabouts unknown.

Fighting like this was very common, but Zhang Zhou, as the vice commander of the battalion, was extremely furious after learning that his subordinate had been beaten up. He led his men to search the streets and alleyways for several days, but still couldn't find the culprit. He was so frightened that Xu Huanyi personally came out to comfort him, promising that when he returned, he would definitely catch the murderer and give him an explanation. As for the real killers, they had already gone with Lu Fang City to travel all over the country.

On the seventeenth day of the first month, Zhang Zhou and Zhang Xingzhi followed Han Zhen and led a battalion of soldiers to wait for orders at the pier of Riverside County.

The route this time was not complicated. Taking a boat and following the Jing River (the Tang Dynasty's only main river from north to south), they entered Lake Lotus, headed east to Rongshui, and landed at the Lianzhou Pier. After another day, they would arrive at the main road, almost 90% of the way on the water. The Lu family had rented twenty five-meter long ships in the Nine Prefectures. As for the Ping Wang, he was riding on a Royal Navy's warship.

After a series of cold words, he ordered each team to capture and board the three boats provided by the Han family. Their duty was to protect the Ping Wang, as they were not together with the Lu family's fleet. They needed to leave the dock and wait, in order to be able to protect the Ping Wang dragon boat at any time.

The ship was improved, mainly by changing the bow of the ship, from the previous square, under the water line into a cone, to reduce the forward resistance. In addition, on the artificial power, there was a gear set installed, from hand oars to stepping on the oars, raising the sails, strengthening stability, and so on. All these improvements greatly increased the speed of the ship, especially against the current, making it much easier to move forward. The ship was two decks high, and there were more than sixty people living on it. The space was not too spacious. No one could do anything about it, nor could anyone complain about it.

Although this team could not be as powerful as the ones in Hezhou, they could be considered under their control with the support of Wang Sheng, Wei Dazhi, and Liu Manzhou's old brothers. As for these subordinates, the new boss, not only did he not accept the gift, but he had also given each of them a hundred silver taels. As for these subordinates, the new boss, not only did he not accept the gift during the new year, he had even given each of them a hundred silver taels.

Zhang Zhou did not like to swim, so he was more or less afraid of the water. However, what made him more at ease was that he had Erniu with him. Erniu didn't even lose to Qu Thirteen in water, and Zhang Zhou even gave him a nickname: Hippo! As for some of the suggestions for a long journey, Zhang Zhou accepted them one by one and asked the entire team to abide by them meticulously.

Under normal circumstances, abiding by the rules is the first factor to ensure safety, and this is the bottom line of Zhang Zhou's management. Everyone in the Nine Regions knew that in normal times, there would only be one result of breaking the rules, and that was to scram! So far, not even a hundred people had been eliminated because they had broken the rules. No one was an exception. At this year's Clan Assembly, one of the old subordinates, Feizi and Qu Thirteen, were found out by Lu Fang City. They broke the rules and directly cleared out the Nine Regions Business.

The members of the Lu family had also arrived at the pier. This time, the Lu Family's Patriarch, Lu Daiwen, personally went back to his hometown to host the ceremony. Needless to say, this trip back to his hometown was grand, and there was also Ping Wang accompanying him.

Before long, three royal barges appeared on the surface of the river. The Prince of Ping had also arrived. There was a man-made canal in the Jing River that led directly to the capital. It was used by the Imperial Guards to guard the water army. People's boats were not allowed to enter.

After the hour arrived, a boat from the Lu family was the leader of the fleet, responsible for leading the way. Han Zhen's boat took the second team, then the Ping Wang's three ships, Zhang Zhou and Zhang Xingwen followed closely, the rest of the boats were led by Lu Daiwen.

Along the way, there wasn't much scenery to see, so Zhang Zhou simply squeezed into the warehouse and chatted with the torturers. Zhang Zhou's words were simple and without any arrogance. Soon, he became one with these people, and his speech became more lively. He even secretly rewarded each of them with a pot of Hezhou Lie to keep them warm and to drink. He warned them very fiercely that anyone who dared to show off outside would kick their feet into the water, and everyone would happily agree.

According to the plan, every time before nightfall, they would stop at the designated docks, making it easier for everyone to rest.

Zhang Zhou did not feel that the empress thought of him as her foster son and thus became close to him as a brother. Plus, the other side had kept Tang Yu'er under control, which made him very unhappy.

The first night they stopped at the shore. Nothing had happened. Early the next morning, before the boat had set sail, someone came to Zhang Zhou to tell him that the Ping Wang had ordered him to go with the boat. Although Zhang Zhou did not want to see it, he had no reason to refuse and could only accept the order.

Compared to other ships, the main difference was that these ships were more sturdy, thick, and surrounded by defensive female walls. Another difference was that the royal ships were dragon shaped, so civilians could only paint fish. If anyone dared to carve a dragon in private, it would be a heinous crime. As for the royal family, all kinds of workmanship were more exquisite and luxurious. There weren't too many changes in the overall layout. Most of the guards were standing on the deck outside, looking around. When Zhang Zhou walked into the cabin, he saw that there were only two people inside, and he naturally recognized the Ping Wang. Beside him sat a handsome man who looked to be in his thirties.

This man was Lu Fengqiao, Lu Daiwen's youngest son, and also Ping Wang's uncle. He was currently a fourth rank official in the Ministry of Public Affairs and was in charge of the foreign officials' evaluation. As for the advancement in official positions, it was only a matter of time.

In contrast to facing the Queen, in front of the Ping Wang, Zhang Zhou was upright and silent.

"Zhang Zhou, Imperial Mother has told me that she adopted you as her foster son. There is no one else here, so you don't need to be so formal!"

"Your Highness, that is the empress's favor. This humble subject doesn't dare use my name when I leave the Palace. This humble subject will use some of my courage to break the rules in front of Your Highness!"

"Sigh, Imperial Mother told me how interesting and fun you are. How did you become like this right in front of me? Does This King make you uncomfortable?"

Zhang Zhou immediately stood up and said, "Your highness, your highness, your humble subject is involuntarily terrified and does not dare to speak nonsense. I beg Your Highness to atone for your sins!"

Lu Fengqiao, who was at the side, smiled and said, "Alright, take a seat. The Ping Wang isn't the kind of person you think it is. He's very kind, so it's alright to sit!"

Zhang Zhou hurriedly expressed his gratitude and sat down again, but he only relaxed a little. Even though he had never seen him before, he understood that at his age, many of the things outside his home were managed by Lu Fengqiao.

Lu Fengqiao did not put on any airs. He spoke warmly and his attitude was amiable. He had the kind of gentleness and elegance that only big families could cultivate.

"Zhang Zhou, the performance of your Yaotai Dance Troupe is indeed shocking. I didn't expect that there would be such a talented person like you in my Tang Dynasty. May I know who your master is?"

The reason why Zhang Zhou did not dare to use the poem to give it to others, was because he did not have the cultural background, so he naturally did not have the confidence to show it to the others. As for the singing and dancing group in Yaotai, he had already prepared an explanation beforehand and stood up to respectfully reply, "Sir, actually, this official does not have that much ability.

He didn't lie completely, he could only hum a tune and give some memorable ideas, and it was true that fullness depended on the efforts of the singers.

"Hehe, you don't need to decorate yourself. You can just sit down and talk. How are you doing in the torture camp?"

"Thank you for your concern, my lord. This is the first time I've been on duty as a leader since I've been in office for a short while. There are still too many things I need to learn!"

"You are only twenty years old this year, right? With such a young age, there will be much hope for the future! "

"This official is young and will not interfere. I will have to trouble Your Highness with your advice in the future!"

Ping Wang snorted and said, "If you are always so boring, and do not cause trouble, I really can't be bothered to mention anything about you!"

Zhang Zhou thought to himself, if you give Tang Yu'er back to me, I can guarantee that I'll be willing to part ways with you. However, he stood up once again and spoke with fear and trepidation: "Your Highness, this humble subject, because of my low status, does not dare to speak nonsense in front of the Ping Wang. I fear that any careless words will anger Your Highness."

After some thought, he gathered up his courage and knelt down again: "Your Highness, you are pinching this humble subject's seven inches, who can relax naturally?"

"How dare you!" Zhao Qisheng immediately stood up. He pointed at Zhang Zhou and said, "Are you saying that I'm in the wrong?"

"Your Highness, this humble subject is in the wrong, I don't dare to blame anyone, and I reap what I sow! I also know that I should thank Your Highness, and not care about this humble subject's sins! However, this humble subject is just a nobody. How many times have I walked out of Hezhou today? How many worlds have I seen? He is indeed a frog at the bottom of a well. Ever since I saw His Highness last time, this humble subject has never had a day of peaceful sleep! I am truly afraid that at some point in time, my wife would scatter and my head would be separated from my body! "

"You're not married yet, where did you get your son?"

Zhao Qizhe reprimanded him! Zhang Zhou pretended not to hear and continued, "This humble subject has never had a mother since I was young. With the empress's grace, this humble one accepts you as my foster son. It wasn't that he didn't want to have this glory, but that he felt ashamed of His Highness. The reason why I'm so filial to the empress is because I want to pacify a little bit of His Highness' anger, right? "

"Your Highness, this humble subject felt that the Empress's kindness towards this humble subject was due to the love and concern of a mother, so she dared to act coquettishly. But the difference was that this humble subject did not have the guts to surpass his status as master and servant, in front of the prince who cared about the world, how could he have the heart to do as he pleased? The empress treats this humble subject with sincerity, this humble subject will repay you with sincerity! Since His Highness had shown his power to this humble subject, this humble subject would naturally serve him with fear. This was the natural thing to do! Your Highness, how do you want this humble subject to handle this? "

Zhao Qishui looked at Zhang Zhou kneeling on the ground and remained silent for a long time. Lu Fengqiao also remained silent as he looked at the two of them in amusement.

"Get up!" Zhao Qisheng whispered.

Zhang Zhou did not say anything, he just raised his body slightly. The Prince of Pingyang had listened to his words. As for whether it was that phrase 'the heart of the world' or 'the sincerity' that was waiting for him had moved him, it was unknown. Zhao Qishui said, "You can leave now. Go back to your ship and be a good boy!"

Zhang Zhou thanked her softly and left the cabin. The whole fleet had set sail. A few willow leafy awnings were in charge of the communication between the ships. Zhang Zhou took one of the awnings and returned to his boat.

Zhang Zhou's character was not capable of being all-around. When he met the Ping Wang, he truly had the fear of being pinched seven inches from his face. He had to get rid of this mentality. Today, even if he was adopted as a foster son by the Empress, he still could not act naturally in front of the Ping Wang. If Lu Fengqiao was not present, he would not have said such words. He could just lower his head and take a scolding. And today, Lu Fengqiao was present, plus King Ping had said, "Too lazy to mention anything," so if Zhang Zhou didn't give it his all, then in the future, the relationship between the both of them would enter a dead end. As a twenty-something year old prince, it was impossible for him to listen to his mother no matter what, especially when he no longer held any hope for someone, he would definitely not be patient to give the other party a second chance. Zhang Zhou also had a certain decisiveness that made him seem like he was about to face a crisis! If you want to subdue me, then show me your sincerity! He was also confident that the Ping Wang wouldn't kill him because of his words at this time. The empress had deliberately asked him to accompany the Ping Wang south for an obvious purpose, it was impossible that the Ping Wang didn't greet him before, otherwise the Ping Wang wouldn't be in a hurry to see him. What he had said just now was clear. It all depended on whether Lu Fengqiao was' good 'or' evil '. Sometimes people need to bet on their luck. However, Zhang Zhou did not know that the person who did not want to let Tang Yu'er go was not the Ping Wang. Instead, it was the Empress.

"Uncle, what do you think of what Zhang Zhou said just now?"

Lu Fengqiao was not only the future of the Lu family, but he was also one of the main participants of the King's Department. Before Zhang Zhou had boarded the ship, Ping Wang had already told Lu Fengqiao about what had happened with his mother. Lu Fengqiao smiled.

"Although Zhang Zhou is just a minor official, he has some skills to have made it to where he is today." What he said just now was rude, but it was true! "

"Uncle, just say it!"

"This sister of mine! "Everything is fine, just that the layout is a bit smaller."

"Uncle, you mean …?"

"You are only twenty-two years old this year, and if there ever be a day like this, are you going to need a jittery servant or a good servant to assist you? In the entire imperial court, the youngest was only in his forties, while Zhang Zhou was only twenty years old. I believe that as long as there are no mishaps, he would definitely grow up to be an astonishing individual. At his age, it's even more difficult to compare with him. "

Zhao Qisheng fell into deep thought. Lu Fengqiao then said, "Since ancient times, which monarch used coercion to force a civil or military minister? The reason why there was such a saying was because there was a king who was willing to serve the warriors of the kingdom! If Zhang Zhou is the value of a errand slave in your eyes, then why not kill him? "If that's not the case, you think about it!"

Ping Wang raised his head, looked at Lu Fengqiao and calmly said, "I understand, Uncle, I know what to do!"

While Zhang Zhou was in the boat, he received a note from the Ping Wang. It read: Return to the capital and release him!

Only now did Zhang Zhou feel that his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

On the third day, Zhang Zhou boarded Ping Wang's ship again. This time, he took the initiative to visit. Lu Fengqiao was not here, and Ping Wang was the only person present.

"Your Highness, this humble subject thanks Your Highness for your magnanimity, and for the grace you have shown!"

Although the Ping Wang intended to treat him as a National Scholar, he couldn't adjust his attitude right now. He looked at Zhang Zhou who was kneeling on the ground angrily.

"Get up! You have to thank my uncle for his advice! "

"Hehe, this Lord Lu must be thanked, but the king's understanding is the most important thing. This humble subject has thought for a long time, but still has not found a way to repay His Highness." It suddenly occurred to me that since the surface of the water is very long, His Royal Highness will definitely feel bored, so why not do something to ease the boredom! "

Zhao Qisheng was playing with a heavy heart when his eyes suddenly lit up, and he felt an itch in his heart. "What's there to feel bored about?" he asked. If it's not fun, This King will not forgive you! "

"Then forget it, His Highness is so knowledgeable, how would this humble subject know if His Highness has played before?"

"Tell me about it first!"

"Then Your Highness will promise not to blame this humble subject. This humble subject will only dare to say that!"

"I'm a prince, you dare to bargain with me?"

"The prince should be magnanimous!"

"You!" Alright, This King will not blame you! Say it! "

Actually, it was not a novelty. It was a thought that came to mind on the spur of the moment — Shooting Fish! As the name implies, if you shoot the fish in the water with a crossbow, you can reclaim the fish by tying a string around the arrow's end! He had been practicing his archery recently, so he didn't know if Ping Wang was bored or not. In any case, if he were to play with the bow on his boat, he would definitely be suspected of plotting against Ping Wang. Thus, he decided to bring Ping Wang along.

He could not wait to run out of the cabin and ask the guards for crossbows. Zhang Zhou picked up a bow and began to make it with a string. This was not complicated and was quickly completed. Zhang Zhou had already observed that the river was wide, the water was clear, and there were many fish, so it was not as pitiful as the ones in his previous life! Zhao Qieshi even called his head bodyguard over, and the three of them competed together.

If there was something to play with, there was something to get along with! Without the knots in his heart, Zhang Zhou and Zhao Qizhen, who had a strong sense of playfulness, quickly became harmonious! At first, the aim was not accurate, but later, Zhang Zhou suggested that they should shoot at Yu Di's body. As expected, Ping Wang quickly shot one of them. Zhang Zhou's interest was greatly piqued!

The Ping Wang experienced the joy of harvesting. Looking at the dozen or so big fish, the weather just so happened to be windless. He ordered a barbecue. Empty a spot on the deck, use bluestone to lay the bottom, bake carbon, and roast fish. Others could not drink, but the Ping Wang did not have this worry.

"At this moment, just listen to a tune!" Smelling the fragrance of the fish, the Ping Wang said, "All the men on the boat, where is the wife who sings songs?"

Zhao Qizhi stared at Zhang Zhou and said maliciously, "What? You can't sing without me? That smile of yours, I just thought that only male voices would have a taste. How about you teach this King? "

"Sure! I'll teach you! "

Zhang Zhou straightforwardly agreed, but Zhao Qishui was a little embarrassed.

"Zhang Zhou, no matter what, I am also a prince. Would it be very awkward for me to sing on the boat?"

"Awkward about what? Drink some wine and nurture some feelings. As long as you feel like it, you will have nothing but a heroic spirit! Who cares about awkwardness! "

"No way, no way!"

After two drinks...

"Zhang Zhou, you sing first! Old Jia, find a few more with good voices and come over here to learn! If you learn how to reward others, you won't be punished! "

Old Jia was his head bodyguard. Not long after, he got a few bodyguards to follow Zhang Zhou and learn to sing. Initially, they were a bit embarrassed, but Ping Wang gave each of them a bowl of wine and let go. And Zhao Qisheng did not maintain his modesty for long.

"Zhang Zhou, if I sing, others won't know that it's This King, right?"

"Zhang Zhou, your singing skills are different. I think it should be like that!"

"..."

Here, the surface of the Jing River was clear and broad, and was in an environment where "mountains opposite of each other". The fleet was vast, and the water surface of the valley was full of energy. He could not help but indulge in a certain kind of emotions!

On a cliff on the shore, a slender man in a blue robe held one hand behind his back and stroked his goatee with the other. He watched as the fleet passed by and listened to Canghai's laughter. He was lost in thought for a long time.

A handsome young man carrying a sword on his back was also motionless, looking at the figure in front of him with respect.

The sword behind the young man instantly flew out of its scabbard as if it had been summoned. Like a rainbow, it flew into the palm of the old man's hand which was in the air, and the old man held the sword in his hand as he carefully examined it. With his other hand, he caressed the body of the sword that was emitting a green light, then laughed out loud and gently threw the sword towards the cliff and casually said, "Go!" The treasured sword was like a bolt of lightning, thrusting straight towards the water surface at the bottom of the hundred zhang cliff. The old man actually jumped down like a flash, his speed was even faster than that flying sword …

Nothing fell into the water.

He ran to the edge of the cliff and saw the young man kneeling on the ground. He was indescribably moved. Tears fell like rain as he chanted.

"Congratulations to Master for crossing the river on the back of a sword!"