Chapter five hundred and ninety-six is ??long overdue
After Liu Mingzhi drank three glasses of wine with He Shu in a row, he nodded and lowered his eyebrows this time and continued to taste the carefully prepared food on the wine table.
The chefs in Prince Zhao's Mansion are very skilled, and although the taste of the dishes is not as good as the chefs that the old man in his family spent a lot of money to hire, they are still considered a good choice.
It's much better than an ordinary restaurant.
Especially the delicious beef on the plate in front of me, its taste is the best among many dishes.
Liu Mingzhi did not expect that Li Tao, a young man, was so courageous that he had the courage to kill a cow to entertain him. Liu Mingzhi, who was well-informed, knew that the beef had just been slaughtered and that it was an ungrown calf.
Although Liu Mingzhi was immersed in eating, his thoughts were not all on the delicious food.
From the corner of his eye, he occasionally glanced at the extremely well-behaved Li'er standing beside him.
Liu Mingzhi came to a conclusion based on Li'er's actions and expression changes after she came back.
She did not lie to herself, Li Tao was indeed busy with business in the study.
Liu Mingzhi was sure that she didn't lie, but it was hard to say whether Li Tao had lied. Is what he was busy in the study really about?
This thought just flashed through Liu Mingzhi's mind without thinking about it.
He doesn't want to judge a gentleman's heart with a villain's heart.
I hope Li Tao is really busy with the fiefdom matters.
This year has just begun, and there has been a heavy snowfall. It is reasonable for people to report something in the fiefdom.
His stomach was quite full. After eating half full, Liu Mingzhi placed his chopsticks on the plate beside him and looked up at He Shu who was chewing slowly across from him.
He Shu might really be too drunk. After a few glasses of wine, his fair cheeks were already stained with a light blush. Fortunately, it was covered by rouge, so it wasn't too obvious.
"Sister-in-law Huang, the Spring Festival has passed, and the funerals of my father and eldest brother have also come to an end. Have you and Wang Zhao made a plan for when to leave Beijing?"
He Shu gently put down his bowl and chopsticks upon hearing this, and looked at Liu Mingzhi's curious and inquiring look, with a hint of worry flashing between Liu's eyebrows.
"The Aijia plans to return to Zhaodi with Tao'er at the end of the month when the ice and snow melts a little. The Aijia also mentioned this matter to Tao'er yesterday."
"Oh? I wonder what King Zhao has planned?"
"well...."
He Shu sighed softly and shook his head silently: "Tao'er said that this is the place where he grew up and he wanted to live there for a longer time.
The vassal king was not allowed to enter the capital without being summoned. After all, he didn't know when he would be able to return to the capital. He was really sad. Zhao Di was his home, but the capital was his roots.
The Ai family thinks that he wants to stay here until the spring begins and the ice and snow completely melt before he plans to leave the capital."
Liu Mingzhi twirled the ring on his hand thoughtfully: "The climate varies from place to place. If the ice and snow completely melt after the beginning of spring, it will be the end of February no matter what."
"What my uncle said is right, so the Ai family still hopes that he will leave Beijing at the end of the month.
My uncle also knows that he is no longer a prince, but a vassal king. He has lived in the capital for a long time. If he has too much contact with some dignitaries in the capital, it will be troublesome if the news reaches your majesty's ears and causes unnecessary misunderstandings.
.”
Liu Mingzhi looked at He Shu's worried look and nodded clearly: "The emperor's sister-in-law's worries are not unreasonable? It is indeed not a good thing for the vassal king to have too many personal relationships with the officials in the capital.
No matter whether you are sitting upright or not, I am afraid that some people will spread rumors and cause trouble."
"Uncle understands justice? Finally someone can understand Aijia's concerns. Come on? Aijia will toast uncle three more times. I hope uncle can help Aijia persuade Tao'er later to let him and Aijia leave Beijing as soon as possible.
"
"I don't dare, the emperor's sister-in-law invites you."
He drank three more glasses of wine without stopping? Did Liu Mingzhi notice it too? He Shu was really worried about Li Tao's affairs, otherwise he wouldn't have been drinking so hard.
Sure enough, after three glasses of wine, the blush on He Shu's cheeks could no longer be concealed by the slight blush on his cheeks.
"In the past, Tao'er was always an obedient child. But as he grew up, he became too big for his mother. He agreed to many of the Ai family's words very well, but... Sigh.
..."
"Emperor's sister-in-law, I would like to take the liberty to ask, Princess Jingyao has gone to a secluded residence? Has she stayed in the capital for a long time? According to my knowledge, you have been named the Queen Mother of the West Palace, and His Majesty even built Changning Palace for you to live in the West Palace? Why do you want to follow her?
Will King Zhao go to live in the land of Zhao?"
He Shu hesitated for a moment: "Tao'er is young, and the Ai family was afraid that he would change his temper after going to Zhao Di alone because of the slander? That's why we followed him? The main reason is..."
"It's also... I feel uncomfortable in the palace."
"Why don't you feel comfortable..." Liu Mingzhi said and reacted? He smiled bitterly and nodded in realization: "That's right, I'm afraid I wouldn't feel comfortable if I were my younger brother."
"Thank you uncle for understanding Aijia."
"The emperor's sister-in-law is serious, but my brother is just comparing his feelings with others and discussing the matter..."
"Mother, uncle, I'm really sorry. My child suddenly received a letter from Zhao Di. The matter is a bit serious. I have to respond quickly and deal with it. It's really unethical to keep my uncle waiting for a long time.
The child punishes himself with three cups of wine, and asks his uncle to forgive him."
Liu Mingzhi's words were interrupted by Li Tao's voice. He looked around and saw Li Tao rushing towards him in a hurry, with a look of apology and guilt on his face.
"Slave, wait and see the prince."
"No gift!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"My son, Li Tao, pays homage to his mother and concubine, and to his uncle."
"Tao'er is free of charge."
"I have seen King Zhao, but I don't dare to take it seriously."
Li Tao stood up and looked at Liu Mingzhi standing up to greet him. He raised his hand and pushed Liu Mingzhi down: "Uncle, there is no need to be so polite to the child. It is obvious that the child has not arrived for a long time and is not treating guests well. Don't you be angry with the child?"
I'm so lucky, how dare I ask my uncle to stand up and greet me.
Please sit down, please sit down."
"Thank you, King Zhao."
Young Master Liu took his seat, and then Li Tao sat on the main seat. He picked up the wine on the side and started pouring wine: "I will punish myself with three drinks and make amends to my uncle."
"King Zhao, wait a minute, the emperor's sister-in-law has just taken over..."
Before Liu Mingzhi finished his sentence, Li Tao had already finished the glass of wine and started pouring the second glass of wine.
Liu Mingzhi was startled and said no more.
It would be wrong to say too much.
Li'er on the side saw this and put several bottles of warm wine on the table for the three of them with a wink.
But when serving the wine to Young Master Liu, there was still a hint of resentment in his almond-shaped eyes, obviously he was still a little sad that Young Master Liu had stopped being frivolous about him.
I don't expect to fly up a branch and become a phoenix, but I don't want to continue to be the canary in this cage whose life and death are unpredictable.
How could Mr. Liu, who had both sharp ears and eyes and sensitive senses, fail to detect the sad look in the beauty's eyes? He could only pretend not to know and let the beauty pour him wine.
Damn it, he is a dandy and not a stallion. It is not his character to sleep with each other.
Although there are quite a few ladies, they all have a precondition of emotional foundation. When I meet Li'er for the first time, I can't think too hard just because she looks good.
Even those who are responsible have not touched it, let alone those who are not responsible.
"Mother, uncle, what are you talking about? My child seems a little unhappy with you."
Hearing this, He Shu immediately looked at Young Master Liu, his phoenix eyes flashing slightly.
Liu Mingzhi understood what He Shu meant and looked at the somewhat confused Li Tao with a faint smile.
"We didn't talk about anything. I just complained casually and said that I was going to the north to guard the border. I was planning to leave at the end of the month. The emperor's wife said that she had not properly thanked me for my kindness. She was a little regretful. She said something about King Zhao.
You're here."
"I see. What the Queen Mother said makes sense. It is indeed a pity that you are preparing to go to the North before you can properly repay your uncle for your kindness."
"There is no other way. State affairs are of paramount importance. The late emperor has entrusted the important task of guarding the country to my hands. How can I be negligent?
There will be a long time in the future, and we will have a day to meet each other, so don’t be in a hurry."
"By the way, when does King Zhao plan to return to Zhao? Didn't you say that something important happened in the letter from Zhao? In this case, I'm afraid he will have to leave Beijing before the end of the month, right?"
A flash of embarrassment flashed in Li Tao's eyes, and he shook his head with a chuckle: "Haier hasn't made up his mind when to leave Beijing. He has already replied to the letter about Zhao Di. The matter is just a little trouble. As long as the officials there
If you handle it well, there will be no problem.
As for when to leave Beijing, I still have to think about it.
After all, the snow conditions before and after New Year’s Eve were a bit weird, so the children didn’t dare to leave rashly in case they got trapped in the ice and snow.”
"That's right. You've thought it through carefully."
"Sigh... Let's not talk about these things anymore. Let's talk happily. I will give you a toast to my uncle and a cup to my mother."