Just then, someone walked in through the door curtain.
Gu Zeyun leaned over and asked, "Who are you?" He paused, "If you're going to perform, go through the other door."
Tan Min paused slightly: "Why do you think I want to go on stage?"
Gu Zeyun blinked and said frankly, "You are so beautiful, it would be a shame if you didn't become a star."
Just one sentence made Mr. Tan laugh.
Although in the Zhou Kingdom, the status of actors and artists was not low and they were even quite popular, but as a court official, Tan Min obviously had never thought about changing his career, nor did he like others to help him change his career.
However, he is happy as long as he is praised for his good looks.
Moreover, Tan Min had his own filter, and felt that this immortal had such a good vision and must be a capable person.
He then smiled and said, "My name is Tan Min, an official of the Zhou Kingdom. I'm afraid I can't work part-time here. However, Your Excellency has had a hard journey, so you should eat more. I will ask the kitchen to prepare a snack for Your Excellency."
Gu Zeyun was curious: "Add what?"
Zhao Lin took the lead and said expressionlessly, "Pigeon soup."
Tan Min: "Very good."
Gu Zeyun: ...Pooh, pooh, pooh!
Zhao Lin ignored the cuckoo spirit and turned to Tan Min and asked, "Have you finished calculating the accounts?"
Tan Min smiled and nodded. "Everything is ready now. With the banknotes the Lu family just sent us, Yilulou won't have to worry about revenue for the next year. We can even build some other things. By then, this area will become the cultural street of the Zhou capital, which is quite nice."
"I didn't expect that a second-rank official like you would worry about such trivial matters."
"This is no trivial matter. It's not just for the enlightenment of the Zhou Kingdom, but also to provide a place for those aristocratic families who have abandoned the dark and joined the light to surrender." Tan Min didn't go into too much detail and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, the Lu family needs my help with something."
"What is it?"
"The terrible disaster that happened in the capital a while ago was caused by her husband. This time, in addition to donating money to Yilulou, I also want to ask for mercy and let her husband go."
After hearing this, Zhao Lin raised his eyebrows slightly and looked surprised.
Gu Zeyun, who had just arrived in the Zhou capital, was completely confused: "What kind of disaster is this?"
Tan Min had a good impression of Gu Zeyun, and he spoke with exceptional patience. "It's true that newspapers in Zhou Kingdom can now publish articles submitted by ordinary people. A few days ago, the young master of the Lu family wrote an article that exposed all the bad things done by those big families. The words he used were quite sharp, which attracted a lot of hostility. They jointly sued him to the government."
Gu Zeyun asked: "Then what?"
Tan Min said softly, "Then the Lu family expelled him from their home, and the government sentenced him to exile."
Hearing this, Gu Zeyun frowned.
Although he studied journalism, before coming to Zhou State, he also read a lot of laws and codes here, especially those related to news.
I have never heard of a law that would punish one for writing an article in a newspaper.
Moreover, he was exiled to the army, which was a bit too harsh.
So Gu Zeyun asked, "Don't newspapers review articles before they are published?"
This time it was Zhao Lin who answered him: "Audit, but he bypassed it."
"How did you get around it?"
"This Mr. Lu simply printed a bunch of things that looked like Zhou Dynasty newspapers and had someone climb onto the roof and spread them down, so that everyone could see them."
Gu Zeyun: ???
What kind of magical operation is this?
Tan Min added: "So the reason he was sentenced this time was not because of the article, but because he secretly printed and pirated the work. To prevent others from following suit, he was given a heavier sentence."
Gu Zeyun:...Okay.
But at this moment, there was a noise outside.
Tan Min immediately asked in a stern voice: "What's the matter?"
Soon, a guard came forward and reported: "A scholar named Lu insists on seeing the immortal."
After these words were spoken, several people looked at each other in surprise.
I was just talking about someone with the surname Lu, and now he’s here.
Zhao Lin asked, "What's your name?"
The guard replied, "Lü Yuanbai."
Tan Min frowned, "It's him indeed." He raised his hand, as if wanting to have him taken back to the government office, but then he stopped and whispered, "Bring him in."
Then, Lord Tan paced back and forth on the spot.
Zhao Lin had been with him for some time and knew his temper best, so he asked, "What's wrong?"
Tan Min didn't hide anything and replied in a low voice, "This Mr. Lu should be in prison right now. Even if his family can temporarily bail him out, he should be at home instead of being allowed to wander around. His father just came to me for help, and now he's here. I'm afraid there's some conspiracy going on."
Gu Zeyun was stunned: "What kind of conspiracy could there be?"
Tan Min's mind raced, his words coming out incoherently. "The Lu family is involved with the Wang family, and the Wang family seems to be hostile to me. Now I've accepted the Lu family's banknotes, even if it's for Yilulou, but I can't bring it up openly. If I report it, I'm afraid it will be troublesome."
Zhao Lin nodded as he listened, his expression solemn.
Student Gu looked left and right and listened in a daze.
At this moment, Lu Yuanbai walked in.
He looked fair and tall, just like an ordinary scholar.
But if you look closely, you can see that both the long gown and the scarf on Lu Yuanbai's head are made of fine materials, and the beautiful jade worn around his waist is also very transparent and worth a lot of money.
However, perhaps because he had just had an argument with someone outside, his clothes were a little messy.
However, Lord Lu's expression was remarkably resolute, not looking frail at all, and his bowing gesture was neat and tidy: "Greetings to the two Immortal Lords, and to Lord Tan."
Tan Min looked at him without saying a word.
Gu Zeyun asked first: "Shouldn't you be in jail?"
Lu Yuanbai said calmly, "I am a humble man, but I passed the imperial examination. The Zhou Kingdom treats scholars well, and my family has already paid sufficient compensation to the newspaper, so I can wait for the day of exile at home."
Zhao Lin: I understand, parole.
Gu Zeyun: "Then what are you doing here?"
After hearing this, Tan Min looked over immediately.
Then Lv Yuanbai said calmly, "I'm here to see the Immortal Lord."
Gu Zeyun was slightly stunned: "Who? Me?"
Lu Yuanbai nodded, then took out a notebook from his pocket.
If you look closely, you can see that these are carefully cut out from newspapers and then bound together.
The scholar who had just looked so upright now showed a bit of shyness and said softly, "I, I came to ask for Gu Lang's autograph."
…
???
Gu Zeyun glanced at the two people beside him, recalling their long list of conspiracy theories. He wanted to laugh, but he held it back. In the end, he just said lightly, "It seems that sometimes being too smart is not good. It's easy to think too much."
Tan Min: ...
snort.
On the other side, the lively performance had already begun on the stage.
The content is an adaptation of the novel written by Gu Zeyun.
The presentation is in the form of a stage play.
This is a new way of performing, from the scenery, to the costumes, to the lines and movements, everything is new.
The aboriginal actors who performed on stage were new learners, and in the eyes of the Langyun people, they seemed a little awkward, but the audience below were still fascinated and yearning for it.
In the box on the third floor, King Zhou sat on the main seat, with Princess Lingyun and Prince Consort Luo on either side.
Luo Zhongyan sat very upright, his eyes fixed on the stage, but his expression remained motionless. Perhaps it was because he had to restrain himself in front of King Zhou, so he looked very serious.
Kong Lingyun felt much more relaxed.
As the most beloved little princess of King Zhou, Kong Lingyun has always been relaxed, and she was particularly at ease at this moment. She held a handful of dried fruits in her hand, and without help from others, she used gold pieces to pry open the shells, took out the white nuts inside, put them in her mouth, and chewed them with a crunching sound.
King Zhou turned his head to look at her and asked, "Is it delicious?"
Kong Lingyun nodded first, then came to her senses, quickly pried open a new one, and put it to her father's mouth: "You eat first."
King Zhou calmly accepted the filial piety of his little daughter.
Kong Lingyun peeled a few more and handed them to King Zhou. Seeing that he had eaten them all, she leaned over and said with a smile, "Well, father, please take a look at my monthly salary for next month..."
King Zhou interrupted directly: "No money."
Kong Lingyun: "...My daughter just wants a month's advance."
Prince Zhou gently touched the top of her head, but his voice was resolute: "You've already advanced your budget to next year, Lingyun. No matter how many clothes you have, you can't wear ten in a day. You should spend moderately."
The little princess puffed up her cheeks, but didn't say anything. She just sat back and wondered if she should find some other way.
I heard that Gongzi Zhang’s Dechang County is doing some kind of “investment attraction” campaign. If I invest some money in it, I wonder how much I can get back.
Prince Consort Luo, who was watching from the side, smiled faintly, feeling that it was rare for the father and daughter in the Tian family to have such a good relationship.
At this moment, King Zhou turned his gaze to him and asked, "Besides the memorial, do you have anything else to say?"
Luo Zhongyan immediately straightened his expression and replied respectfully, "The relevant construction on the grassland is ready, and Hua'an County is also preparing to expand the number of caravans. I hope the king will approve it."
King Zhou was happy to see the construction of Hua'an County.
But he did not nod immediately. Instead, he picked up Kong Shu's memorial and said, "I will make a decision after discussing this with the ministers."
Luo Zhongyan did not insist on asking, he just responded and did not say anything else.
But the King of Zhou seemed quite interested in chatting, and soon added, "I heard that the fashion for wearing flower ornaments has started in Hua'an County, and it was started by Shu'er."
When Luo Zhongyan heard this, it actually had two meanings.
The first level is naturally the novelty of the new objects brought by the immortals.
The second level was to let Prince Consort Luo understand that even if King Zhou sat in the capital, he could still know every detail of Hua'an County, which was thousands of miles away.
If it were any other official, he would probably feel nervous.
But Luo Zhongyan didn't take it to heart, and said frankly: "Your Majesty is right, the flower ornaments are indeed very beautiful."
"You like it?"
A smile appeared on Luo Zhongyan's face, which was originally serious. The way to make the young general's expression soften was simple. Just mention his wife in front of him.
Just a name is enough to make Kong Shu appear before Luo Zhongyan's eyes.
He even spoke softly unconsciously. "Yes, this method was taught by a fairy. I improved it before letting Shu Niang try it. She really liked it. It looked very nice when she applied it. It looked very nice."
King Zhou took another nut that Kong Lingyun had peeled and put it directly into his mouth. While chewing, he said, "As long as Shu'er likes it, I'm glad. Seeing that you two are so harmonious, I, as your brother, can also feel at ease."
Luo Zhongyan's smile deepened and he wanted to say something.
But before that, King Zhou's calm voice came: "However, if you really don't like Shu'er's scars, you should say it directly. Don't hide it. You know, honesty is the most important thing between husband and wife."
This actually sounds like there is nothing wrong with it.
It's like an ordinary brother from the mother's family caring about his sister and brother-in-law.
But Luo Zhongyan was a smart man after all, and he immediately realized something was wrong.
After thinking about it for a while, a layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on my back.
Obviously, the reason why King Zhou asked about Huadian was actually to find out the relationship between the two of them, and to find out whether Kong Shu made such a choice because of Luo Zhongyan.
It sounded like just idle chatter, but Luo Zhongyan assured him that if he dared to show even the slightest disdain or dislike, King Zhou would not praise his honesty. Instead, he would take him away directly, allowing the princess to get a second chance at a physical divorce...
But Luo Zhongyan really doesn't care about Kong Shu's appearance.
Even in his eyes, there are two kinds of people: one is called Shu Niang, and the other is called everyone else.
But he really didn't know how to prove his feelings.
Or should I cut my face right now so that I and my wife can have a couple's look?
Just as he was frowning, not knowing what to do, King Zhou suddenly sat up straighter, stared at the memorial in his hand, and suddenly laughed out loud.
Princess Lingyun hadn't caught the subtle wit in their words until she heard the noise. She turned around and asked curiously, "Father, what are you laughing at? Is there some gag in this play that I'm missing?"
King Zhou waved his hand, said nothing, and handed the memorial to Luo Zhongyan.
Prince Consort Luo was nervous and took it with both hands. After opening it, he saw the first sentence written by Kong Shu in the memorial:
"My dear prince, please understand. I wanted to wear the flower ornaments myself, and it was also my idea to cover up the blemishes. My husband tried to stop me several times, but I thought that everyone loves beauty, so I didn't listen. I also hope that my dear prince will not blame him for this. My dear prince, I have chosen my husband and I don't want to change. Please don't scare him."
Seeing this, Luo Zhongyan pursed his lips, and all his tension just now disappeared.
What remained was only the feeling of being moved, and the eagerness to return to Hua'an County to see his wife and relieve his longing for her.
Prince Zhou smiled and sighed, "My sister usually writes me memorials with words as if adding one more word would tire her out. But for you, she wrote such a long paragraph, afraid that I would embarrass you." He paused, then reached out and gently patted Prince Consort Luo on the shoulder. "You are quite good."
At the same time, King Zhou grumbled in his heart that his sister had been clever and understanding since she was a child. Apart from anything else, just from this early warning, it was enough to see that she had figured out her brother.
I originally thought that Luo Zhongyan was just younger and better looking, but the others were not as good as Shu'er and were not a good match.
But now it seems pretty good.
If two smart people live together, they will quarrel sooner or later. There is no point in having intelligence competitions every day. It would be nice if there was someone honest to mediate.
Luo Zhongyan didn't know that King Zhou was judging his IQ. He just stood up and saluted, bowed his head slightly, and sighed softly.
Facts have proven that no matter whether it is the royal family or the common people, the brother-in-law is the most difficult person to deal with.
The person in front of me is particularly not easy to deal with.
Other brothers-in-law can only fight, but this one is really deadly...
At this moment, someone announced, "Zhao Xianjun and Mr. Tan are requesting an audience."
King Zhou immediately closed the memorial and put it in his sleeve, then said, "Please come in."
Soon, Tan Min and Zhao Lin walked in, followed by Lu Yuanbai.
Perhaps because he did not want to delay King Zhou from watching the show, and everyone present was on King Zhou's side, Lord Tan did not beat around the bush and directly told him everything about the Lu family.
Finally, he said, "My opinion is that Lu Yuanbo is a scholar after all. He has a powerful tongue, but he is physically weak. I am afraid that his journey as a soldier would be difficult. Fortunately, he is very talented in writing. It would be better to ask the prince consort to take him back. Although it is called a punishment of exile, it can actually help to strengthen the education of Hua'an County. The Lu family has also promised to select a dozen talented people from the family to accompany him for the princess to use."
King Zhou just thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.
After all, for him, this matter has only benefits and no harm.
It can not only help the construction of Hua'an County and even the grassland, but also divide the aristocratic forces in the capital. Why not do it?
Luo Zhongyan was also in urgent need of talents, and now that one was delivered to his doorstep, he naturally would not refuse.
However, he looked at Lu Yuanbai with some curiosity, and after looking him up and down, he asked, "I wonder why those aristocratic families are chasing after Mr. Lu?"
Lu Yuanbai sighed softly, a helpless look on his fair face: "They think I scolded them, and this made them unbearable."
Luo Zhongyan was puzzled: "What did you scold them for?"
Lu Yuanbai looked innocent: "I just told them everything they did."
Luo Zhongyan: …???
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