Chapter 66： take a nap

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Zichou sat on the main seat, and the four cabinet members below sat cross-legged in front of their respective small desks.

"Your Majesty, this is the envoy letter from the Uighurs." Zhou Huaijin said as he presented a brocade box.

Meng Shike also took out the object from his arms: "This is the envoy letter from the Turkic Ministry."

Immediately afterwards, Li Cai, the head of the household department, and Xiao Xian, the number one scholar, presented envoy letters from the southern and northern tribes respectively:

"Nanzhao Envoy Letter."

"The envoy letter of the Mohe tribe."

Li Zichou raised his hand and asked Lu Xiaoying to fetch them one by one and put them in front of her case.

The work of receiving foreign envoys was mainly carried out by the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple, and these cabinet ministers were specially appointed as the accompanying envoys of the big tribes, responsible for meeting with the heads of various ministries.

Zhou Huaijin reported: "Your Majesty, the Uighur tribe, Nanzhao, and other small tribes have all arrived in Linjing. The envoys of the Mohe tribe and the Turkic tribe have also arrived before the envoys. The only ones left are the Yamato tribe and Shuobei Khan. There is no news from the country."

"The Ministry of Yamato is located in Dongying, and the journey is far away, with the sea in between. People and news arrive relatively late. But Shuobei..." Xiao Xian stopped talking in the middle of the sentence.

Meng Shike knew what he meant and asked for him: "Will Shuobei not come?"

Li Zichou: "No, Shuobei will definitely come."

"Why?" Xiao Xian and Meng Shike asked at the same time.

Xiao and Meng were at the same time, and Meng Shike had been in the local government before, and this was the first time he was working in the central government—even though his protagonist was Bai Qingyang; and although Xiao Xian won the first place in the imperial examination, he was still a scholar who had just entered the officialdom . It's okay to just do some paperwork. Neither of them has much experience in this kind of diplomatic affairs.

"Because Shuobei and Dasheng have been at odds for a long time, whether they intend to reconcile with our court through marriage, or want to find out the reality of our dynasty before launching a war, they will definitely not let go of this court participation. Their chance." Zhou Huaijin answered the questions of the two newcomers for Li Zichou.

"The envoy from Shuobei will definitely arrive as scheduled."

Li Zichou smiled approvingly, as expected of Zhou Huaijin.

Meng Shike and Xiao Xian looked at each other, then bowed their hands respectfully to Zhou Huaijin and said, "I've been taught."

Li Zichou: "Have the envoys from various ministries who arrived in Linjing settled down?"

Meng Shike: "Return to Your Majesty, the envoys have all settled in the Xijiubin embassy in the city for a temporary stay, and they can go to the pilgrimage to see Your Majesty after rest."

"Yeah." Li Zichou understood, "I thank you for your love."

"The minister is terrified."

The five-year summer tribute is the most important thing in Dasheng. From the princes and nobles to the common people, they must show the best national appearance to the foreign countries.

It is said that all nations came to court, but it was actually said when the first emperor was in power. □□Wen can rule the country and secure the country, and martial arts can defend the land and open up borders. This is the one emperor through the ages.

It's just that Li Sheng's throne has changed, and the quality of the rulers who emerged is good or bad. Dasheng is no longer as prosperous as it was then. In Li Chou's generation, the number of tribute states was far less than before. What's more, in the past few hundred years, the surrounding tribes have died alone and annexed each other.

"Everyone, the day of paying tribute to all nations is approaching. It is a matter of great prosperity and state affairs, so we must not take it lightly. The envoys in charge must be well received and report to them in a timely manner."

Li Zichou's voice paused, and then called his name: "Xiao Aiqing."

Xiao Xian got up: "The minister is here."

"You send someone out of Linjing to Huangzhou to meet the envoys from the Yamato Ministry."

"The minister takes orders."

"Huaijin."

Zhou Huaijin got up: "The minister is here."

"Go and contact Shuobei and report their itinerary to me in real time."

Zhou Huaijin: "I obey the order."

"Meng Shike."

"My minister is here."

"Go and bring a letter to General Zhong, telling him to come back quickly."

Meng Shike: "? This..." Zhong Lin is a martial artist, what did the Empress ask him to come back for.

Seeing his puzzled look, Zhou Huaijin interjected, "Master Meng is in charge of the Turkic Ministry, and it happens that Mr. Zhong has a lot of contacts with the Turkic people, so ask him to come back and give you some guidance."

Meng Shike: "..." Have a lot of contacts?

Does it mean pressing and beating the Turkic people?

Asking Zhong Lin to help him deal with the Turkic envoys, Dasheng's hospitality is too dark!

What a ruthless woman!

Meng Shike felt that it was the right decision to persuade Bai Qingyang not to mess with Li Zishou. Fortunately, Bai Qingyang didn't listen to Xie Zhi.

Meng Shike was thinking in his heart while accepting the order.

"Prince Yu and Xie Shilang will be in charge of the Shuobei envoys, and now you all go to do your own thing." Li Zichou left first after speaking.

The cabinet ministers responded to her in unison: "I respectfully follow the imperial decree and send it off to Your Majesty."

//

"Why does Your Majesty seem to be in a hurry to go to court?"

Zhou Huaijin, who left the Liangyi Hall, heard Xiao Xian's muttering, and said, "Go back to the imperial study to deal with the memorial."

Xiao Xian was taken aback, only to find that Zhou Huaijin was standing behind him, he turned around and bowed to salute, "Scholar Zhou."

His respectful attitude made Zhou Huaijin very useful. Zhou Huaijin was in a good mood, and it was rare for him to care about others: "Is this your first time in court? How do you feel?"

Xiao Xian: "Returning to the Bachelor, I have gained a lot. Being able to be so valued by His Majesty, I feel that the ten years of hardship have not been in vain."

Maybe it was because he was also born in the imperial examination, Zhou Huaijin had a natural affection for scholars like Xiao Xian, he patted Xiao Xian on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Do things in a down-to-earth manner."

"It's natural."

Zhou Huaijin looked at Xiao Xian's low-level official uniform, remembered what Li Zichou said to him, and said with emotion: "Your Majesty once told me that one day, she will change my official robe into purple. "

Xiao Xian also looked at the dark green official robe on Zhou Huaijin's body, and asked, "The position of chancellor to the right is vacant, why doesn't your majesty directly ask you to be prime minister?"

Zhou Huaijin shook his head and said, "Lord Xiao, please remember that a promise won't bring you anything."

"What you win with your hands is your own."

Xiao Xian suddenly realized and nodded: "The lower officials are taught..."

Zhou Huaijin continued: "Your Majesty does not support idlers. I knew it from the first day I put on my official uniform. So you are honored to enter the cabinet as the number one scholar. Don't disappoint her expectations."

The young man's eyes became resolute after he said this: "The lower officials will."

"Master Shoufu really knows His Majesty very well."

Zhou Huaijin shook her head, "It's not that I know Your Majesty, but that Your Majesty treats everyone honestly. To be honest, I'm really worried about her advantage..."

Xiao Xian is a talented man who has read a lot of history books, and he also knows a thing or two about the art of emperors. It's not that he didn't understand what Zhou Huaijin said, but he understood the principle that a minister should not criticize the Lord, so he didn't comment, but replied: "Your Majesty must have her own considerations."

Zhou Huaijin pondered for a while, then said: "Forget it, I'm here, don't be afraid."

Zhou Huaijin and Xiao Xian strolled towards the Hanlin Academy. When they were talking, they didn't notice Meng Shike who was watching from the turret all the time.

He listened to the conversation between Zhou Huaijin and Xiao Xian verbatim, and he kept his brows in thought, and stood there for a while before leaving.

//

Today's internal court is a bit long, so Li Zichou has to go back to the study to finish approving the remaining papers. The feeling that this kind of work will only pile up if it is not processed in time is really...

It makes people dream back to the third year of high school where they can never finish their homework.

Lifting the bead curtain of the imperial study room, Li Zichou was about to take off his hat and throw it aside, but his hand stopped suddenly when he touched the black gauze.

The rattan-faced couch is spacious, and the cocked table is covered with memorials. The summer sun slanted into the window lattice, scalding the carvings of birds and animals on the black floor tiles. The ice cellar in full bloom on the side has melted a lot, holding the melons and fruits, and barely can play a role in cooling down.

Bai Qingyang was wearing white clothes, and he was leaning over the desk like that, half of his face was hidden in the shadows, his eyes were covered by crow feather-like eyelashes, and his eyebrows were dark like distant mountains.

The melting ice in the bronze vessel makes a crisp sound, the bead curtain shakes, and the chest of the person taking a nap slowly rises and falls.

Li Zichou unconsciously held his breath, for fear of disturbing the peace and tranquility of this moment. Not caring about taking off her heavy coat, she just took off her shoes and stepped on the banquet.

Sitting less than a foot away from Bai Qingyang to the left, Li Zichou looked at the young girl who was sleeping peacefully, and then at the mountain of notebooks on the desk, and randomly took one to read.

The traces drawn by cinnabar have already been approved.

Maybe it was Li Zifu sitting next to him, and the light and shadow changed; or maybe it was the small sound of flipping the folder, which caused Bai Qingyang's eyelashes to tremble slightly, and he woke up leisurely.

Li Zichou watched quietly as she propped herself up on the table and straightened up.

Bai Qingyang rubbed the corners of his eyes lightly, only then did he see Li Zichou sitting next to him, staring at Li Zichou with a blank expression on his face.

Bai Qingyang seldom showed such a relaxed and ignorant state, Li Zichou raised his eyebrows: Is this sleepy?

"here is…?"

The voice of the child who just woke up was still a little unnatural, low-pitched, like a kitten meowing, and the question was swirling in his throat.

When Li Zichou saw him, he felt that he was very cute. In front of this girl who has been sleeping for an unknown age, how can she have the slightest demeanor of a queen?

It was rare to see her like this, Li Zichou couldn't help teasing her, she put down the booklet in her hand, and said with a smile: "You have taken my place, I haven't asked why you are here yet."

Bai Qingyang's chaotic thoughts began to run with difficulty, and when she finished digesting Li Zizhi's words, her fair and translucent skin turned crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye, and she froze in place.

Helpless, shy and innocent.

Li Zichou looked at her earlobe that was so red that it was about to bleed, and thought: so exaggerated?

Bai Qingyang couldn't help being funny too.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Bai Qingyang called out in a panic, and changed his words after realizing that there were only the two of them in the study, "Qi, I... Qingyang was rude."

Li Zichou likes to call each other by name when they are alone, which makes her feel closer.

"Not at all." Li Zichou smiled and shook his head.

There was old ice in the room to cool down the temperature, Bai Qingyang couldn't help laughing when he saw her, but he only felt that the temperature was rising sharply. Compared with the shyness at this moment, the sense of burnout and confusion just woke up from sleep is nothing.

"Qing Yang, are you tired?" Li Zichou asked with concern, "It's not safe to sleep in the study, you can go to the main hall to rest."

Li Zichou spoke very sincerely, and the concern in his tone was clear and warm, as if he really cared if she had a good rest.

— it would be more if the smile in her eyes wasn't so obvious.

Bai Qingyang: "...No need, I just closed my eyes and rested my mind for a while."

Li Zichou: "Really? But I see that you are sleeping on your face..." She pointed at Bai Qingyang's side face with a finger, and gently reminded her.

Bai Qingyang touched it without knowing it, good guy, two long marks.

A future monarch planning a strategy, lying on the desk of the previous monarch, sleeps with marks on his face. How can you feel such a strong contrast between the words in the book?

It was really hard for Li Zichou to hold back his laughter.

Moreover, dozens of hundreds of memorials were piled up on the entire desk, Bai Qingyang just dug out a small space to lie on his stomach, really...

so cute.

"Thank you for reminding me, my concubine still has something to do, so let's go first..." Before Bai Qingyang finished speaking, Li Zichou grabbed his sleeve.

The address has changed, it seems to be teasing people, Li Zichou hastily stopped him: "I'm sorry, I was wrong, don't go." As soon as he admitted his mistake, Li Zichou laughed even more presumptuously.

"Remuneration!" Bai Qingyang became angry from embarrassment, and said angrily.

"Haha...ha, don't, don't look at me..." Li Zichou tried hard to control his emotions, but Bai Qingyang's shout made him unable to hold back anymore. He had no choice but to withdraw his hand and use his wide sleeves to cover his bright smiling face.

Bai Qingyang didn't leave, he snorted heavily, and turned his head away angrily. But I saw that the time indicated by the copper leak inscription had reached Shen Shizhong, and it was already afternoon.

How long have you slept by yourself?

Li Zichou covered his face for a while, and finally stopped smiling. Only then did he ask, "When did Qing Yang come?"

Bai Qingyang pursed his lips: "He came at the end of noon."

Li Zifu nodded knowingly: "Then Qingyang, when did you start to sleep...to rest your mind?"

Seeing that Bai Qingyang was getting impatient again, Li Zichou replied before she could speak: "If you close your eyes and rest your mind, it should be just a while before I came, and it really wasn't long."

Bai Qingyang: "..."

If she said that, she wouldn't feel that she had stepped down the stairs, would she? !

The author has something to say:

Zhou Huaijin: A promise can't bring you anything.

Li Zishou: ...It seems that I am a leader who likes to draw big cakes.

Sad news: Bai Qingyang has become more delicate (hands folded)