Chapter Fifteen: The Lord of Fuli County

  Can be understood as reserve!

  Since the Anshi Rebellion, the regional military governors had become increasingly arrogant and disobedient to imperial court orders. The appointment of their successors was also decided by the governors themselves, usually passing on the position to their sons or trusted subordinates.

  Li Yun was the military governor of the Zhaoyi Circuit, and his son succeeded him after his death, which was a natural course of events.

  Zhao Zhuang heard his name and felt uneasy. The reason he was waiting at the city gate was to coincidentally meet Qin Da Kang, who was on his way back from selecting a burial site for his mother, and ask him to take himself to Puji Temple. This was to avoid the guards of Langzhou City, otherwise he would definitely be stopped and questioned, or even possibly arrested directly.

  Intentionally provoking the city guards, he successfully caught Qin Da Kang's attention, and it seemed like he was about to succeed. But just then, Li Shou Jie suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he was Li Yun's son, and must have been on guard against people coming from Bian Liang, who knows where they would end up going with him?

  Notably, he also emphasized his other identity - Envoy of the Great Song Dynasty Imperial City.

  This was the official position that Zhao Kuangyin had appointed him to, which was actually a nominal position, but Li Shoujie spoke out after a slight hesitation, as if intentionally emphasizing it.

  What does this mean? Is it a reverence and admiration for the Great Song, or is it that he heard himself come from Bianliang, so he intentionally said to himself, as a warning and suspicion of himself?

  That day, I went to the street to buy new clothes and saved a child on Bianliang Street. At that time, it seemed that the one who was galloping wildly on horseback was indeed the son of the commander of the Zhao-Yi army, Li Shoujie?

  Zhao Zhuang couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Had he been discovered so quickly? Why did he have the feeling of an ill-fated start?

  Alas, the trip to Luzhou was indeed like walking on thin ice! With a nervous heart, Zhao Zhuang followed Li Shoujie and Qin Dakang into the city of Luzhou.

  A special scene appeared, a noble son rode his horse in the front, a carriage followed closely behind, and a little monk in tattered clothes chased after them frantically.

  Although physically strong, after all, two legs less than a horse, Zhao Zhuang was still running out of breath. The tattered hemp shoes were completely abandoned, and when they arrived at Puzi Temple, the soles of their feet had been worn through, becoming a true performance.

  Chu Chaoxu, who had entered the city a step earlier, saw this scene and couldn't help but be greatly surprised, finally bursting into loud laughter.

  Sister, you ride a horse so fast, Zhao Zhuang with a head full of black lines can only secretly scold Li Shoujie and Qin Dakang.

  Looking at the three big characters "Puzi Temple", Zhao Zhuang finally let out a breath of relief, his feet were throbbing with pain, and he had been bleeding since entering the city, this was not a good omen.

  Li Shoujie didn't even give himself a second glance, and strode inside. The poor little monk could only hobble along behind him. As for Qin Dakang, perhaps due to his excessive obesity, he plopped down on the steps at the entrance, panting heavily.

  "Trouble you to report to the princess, there is a monk who claims to have been ordered by the queen, from Bianliang, asking the princess to identify one or two."

  Before confirming his identity, Xiaohua didn't even have the qualifications to enter the second courtyard. It wasn't just him; as Li Shoujie, he couldn't get in either and could only stand at the entrance to relay messages. This showed just how noble or haughty this Su Lian County Master was.

  "Is it sent by Her Majesty?"

  Zhao Zhuang stood outside the door, only hearing her voice but not seeing her person. The sound was clear and pleasant to the ear, but this tone... A woman who can say a question sentence with such momentum is absolutely not a weak willow, noble and powerful, and strong-minded.

  This was Zhao Zhuang's conclusion based on his thirty years of life experience in his previous life, and he became more and more curious about what the Lord of Fuli County looked like. Wouldn't it be a tigress or a lion from Hedong?

  "Yes, Princess!" The majestic General Liu Hou was gentle and soft-spoken in front of Fu Li, completely different from his arrogant demeanor on the streets of Bianliang. Was it really a case of "hot water splashing on tofu", where one person yields to another?

  "Who's there? Come on in!"

  Before Li Shoujie could react, Zhao Zhuang hobbled in wearing tattered straw sandals, his body swaying with each step, leaving a small blood-red mark on the ground.

  "The young monk has seen the lady of the county!" The action, expression, and tone were all perfectly coordinated, leaving a deep impression on people.

  Pfft! Someone almost burst out laughing, but quickly covered their mouth and nose. Zhao Zhuang was extremely frustrated, stuck with such a special title that would attract attention wherever he went, making it impossible to keep a low profile.

  "Qie Se Fa Shi, you've gone to a lot of trouble. Are you here on the orders of Empress Dowager?" A clear voice sounded in his ear, a simple inquiry that seemed very polite, but Zhao Zheng detected a hint of suspicion.

  "Yes, there is a handwritten letter from the princess to the duchess!" Zhao Zhuang immediately took out a letter from his luggage and handed it over.

  This time, I finally have the opportunity to see the elegance of the Seventh Princess of Wei Wangfu.

  From bottom to top, the first thing that caught my eye was a pair of square-toed shoes, which turned out to be a pair of silk square-toed shoes.

  Although I've only been reborn for two months, I already have some understanding of the customs and human feelings of the Great Song Dynasty. Fang Lu is clearly wearing men's shoes. Women, especially noble women, should be wearing golden thread shoes and pearl shoes instead.

  What was seen further up was not the woman's characteristic skirt, but the tall and slender lady wearing a moon-white long shirt with a modified silk belt around her waist, from which hung two emerald-green glass beads.

  When she finally lifted her head, a handsome face appeared before my eyes. Under the black willow-leaf eyebrows was a pair of spirited and elegant phoenix-like eyes, her mouth slightly larger than that of ordinary women, but not affecting its beauty, with a perfectly proportioned nose bridge complementing her harmonious facial features, her skin white and smooth, seemingly without any makeup.

  Not considered top-notch in terms of beauty, but her unique noble temperament, especially those eyes that surpass Zhao Yanran's, are particularly attractive and add a lot of charm. Zhao Zhen believes that if she adds a head of jade-adorned black hair, she will be even more dazzling.

  But she wore a pure white Tonghua hat, paired with a moon-white long shirt, and looked more like a noble young master with an elegant demeanor, where was the slightest bit of feminine charm and weakness?

  However, Zhao Zhuang still stared at Fu Li in a daze for two moments. A girl disguised as a boy, was this the young lady's hobby?

  "The little monk is really rude, no wonder his Buddhist name is called 'Jie Se'." A maid came forward to take the letter and gave Zhao Zhuang a fierce stare.

  Impolite? Zhao Zhuang was speechless, the girl's family insisted on dressing her as a boy, almost making him misunderstand his orientation, and before he could take responsibility, they blamed him for being impolite, what a...

  The young master of the Fu Rui County, dressed in men's clothing, didn't say anything, but simply looked up and down at the little monk with a discerning eye, very casually. Zhao Zhuang felt that this girl, who looked like she was only 15 or 16 years old, seemed to have piercing eyes, and also had a bit of an invasive quality.

  It seems I guessed right, definitely not easy to serve, Zhao Zhuang has already started secretly complaining.

  Li Shoujie, however, didn't pay attention to Zhao Zhuo, his eyes secretly fell on Fu Li, and once discovered, he hastily dodged, a typical guilty conscience.

  Could it be? Zhao Cong secretly observed Li Shoujie's eyes, eight or nine out of ten, and Li Shoujie seemed to like the young lady who disguised herself as a man. However, he had the heart of a thief but not the courage, hiding and dodging, afraid that people would see him, such a big man was so shy.

  Who can pick up beautiful girls?

  In an instant, Zhao Zhuang seemed to understand why Li Shoujie didn't suspect anything and brought him directly to Pujisi Temple. It was because he himself wanted to take the opportunity to see Xiaojunzhu, his heart racing with excitement, blinded by desire?

  The young mistress didn't give Li Shoujie another glance, but instead looked at the envelope handed over by the maid and opened it directly.

  The letter was indeed written by the King of Wei's consort, and the handwriting was one aspect. Zhao Kuangyin believed that there must be a secret code between the lines. Even Emperor Taizu did not interfere, let alone himself.

  In the future, the relationship with this young lady will be one of mutual cooperation and mutual vigilance, even to the point of sharing hardships together. But it's also possible... how can I bring myself to harm such a lovely and delicate beauty?

  Zhao Zhuang secretly prayed in his heart, hoping that such a situation would not arise, and it would be best for everyone to return to Bianliang early. However, the depth of this pool of water in Luzhou was still unknown, and it was feared that it would be difficult to retreat wholeheartedly...

  Fu Li looked at the letter very seriously, occasionally raising her head to glance at Xiao Hei. Needless to say, it must be Princess Wei or even Fu Yanqing himself who had entrusted something, and eight out of ten chances it was related to Zhao Zheng.

  What Xīn Lǐ said didn't concern Zhao Zhuó, he just hoped that the young county master could finish reading the letter as soon as possible. Anyway, let me take a bath and change into some clean clothes and shoes! Zhao Zhuó had a slight obsession with cleanliness, and being able to endure this dirty appearance until now was already quite remarkable.

  Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door and Qin Dakang walked in with a smile. Behind him was a tall and thin middle-aged man, who cast a suspicious glance at himself as soon as he entered.