In late June of the first year of Yuanfu, the autumn wind was about to rise, but the scorching air was still lingering on both sides of the Huai River.

Lianshui Ancient City is shrouded in the scorching sun and heat. Although it is not as fierce as midsummer, it also makes people feel like they are alive in the cage. People always say that the hot summer in the south can make people feel hot. However, the Huai River, located between the north and the south, is sultry, which also makes people from the Yellow River unbearable.

In the backyard of Lianshui Army Office, there is a short table in a pavilion with several drinks, fruits and melons and fruits placed on it.

An old man wearing a Confucian shirt and bald without a hat was sitting upright, picking up a glass of ice licorice soup in his hand and drinking it. He closed his eyes and seemed to be savoring it carefully.

A young scholar sat cross-legged across from him. He was so hot that he was holding an unfolded folding fan in his hand. This man was Mi Youren, who had been fighting with Wu Haogu in Panjiayuan a few days ago.

The person sitting opposite Mi Youren was naturally his father, Mi Fu and Mi Yuanzhang, a master of calligraphy and painting and fake master.

Mi Fu was about fifty years old and was handsome, with sword eyebrows, broad eyes, long beards under his jaw, and a slightly majestic body. He looked like a brave man, but his whole body exuded the elegance of a scholar everywhere.

He wore a white Confucian robe, showing a gentle and elegant spirit.

"Li Longmian really thinks he is the number one person in the painting?"

Mi Fu suddenly spoke, and the matter he asked was related to the gambling battle in Pan Jiayuan on the first day of April.

Mi Youren nodded and replied: "That's what Mr. Longmian said, and so does the child think!"

Mi Fu brows and looked at his son curiously, "Do you have to admit defeat?"

In the impression of "Rice", his son is extremely talented and has a higher vision than his talent. Even his father's attainment in calligraphy and painting was not as convincing as his son "Xiaomi".

"I'm convinced!" Mi Youren smiled, "I have real skills, but my son is far from comparable. What's the use of not accepting it?"

"Did you say that the "Drunk Arhat Picture" and "Sang Family Watts Picture" were painted by him?" Mi Fu naturally saw copies of "Drunk Arhat Picture" and "Sang Family Watts Picture".

"Yes," Mi Youren nodded, "but these two paintings are so different from "Pan Qiaolian Photos".

"Photographs of Pan Qiaolian?" Mi Fu asked, "Where is the copy? Didn't you bring it?"

Mi Youren shrugged, "I was originally asked by King Duan, how can I copy it?"

"King Duan?" Mi Fu frowned and said to himself, "King Duan is not married yet."

"Father, you mean..." Mi Youren's face was a little strange, "The Pan family wants to send Pan Shiba to King Duan with the "Photo of Pan Qiaolian"?"

"What's wrong?" Mi Fu looked at his son, "The generals in Kaifeng Mansion are all making this idea, so is our Mi family, so how can the Pan family be exception?

Now that the official family has no children, the body is getting worse and worse. If there is a situation…”

"Will the official family do it for King Duan?" Mi Youren said, "If this is the case, it would be great."

Mi Youren and Zhao Ji are naturally friends. They seem to be old and have similar interests. Moreover, Mi Youren is the descendant of the general and is a person in the same circle as Zhao Ji. It would be strange if they don’t play together.

If Zhao Ji became an official, Mi Youren would not have to worry about losing wealth in this life.

"Not necessarily, not necessarily..." Mi Fu shook his head repeatedly, "The official family can also learn from the examples of Renzong's dynasty and make his nephew the crown prince."

"Let's a nephew? But the official family has no nephew."

Mi Fu glanced at his son, "Not now, it does not mean that there is no in the future... King Shen and King Duan are both at the age of marriage, and King Duan is strong and must be able to have children. If he has a son, he can be adopted by the official family."

"No wonder, no wonder..."

"No wonder?" Mi Fu asked as he looked at his son.

Mi Youren lowered his voice and said, "No wonder there is a rumor that the deposed queen has emerged from the forbidden!"

"Is there any news of the deposed queen coming out?" Mi Fu was shocked and stared at his son blankly, "The body of the official family..."

Mi Youren shook her head gently, without an answer.

Today, Zhao Xu, an official from the Song Dynasty, was the emperor whose temple name was Zhezong in the later generations. In the Northern Song Dynasty, he was also considered a generation of heroes. Although he intensified the struggle between the new and old parties during his reign, he achieved the victory of Hengshan (it has not been completed yet), completely blocking the way for the Western Xia to advance eastward.

Although Xixia will not perish quickly, it is certain that it will go downhill, and it will lose its base to invade the northwest of the Song Kingdom in the future.

Without the Hengshan stronghold, if Xixia wants to attack again, it has to send troops from his hometown Xingqing Prefecture, and travel hundreds of miles of sand to attack the Song army's village in Hengshan. It is basically a death sentence.

For the Song Dynasty, which was nicknamed "Bo Song" by later generations, this victory has great strategic value!

It allowed the Song Dynasty to get rid of the dilemma of being passively beaten on the northwest battlefield. Whether it is a war or a harmony depends on the Song Dynasty.

However, while Zhao Xu won the victory over Xia, he could not ease the struggle. He probably did not think about easing the struggle between the two parties in the court, and letting the party struggle spread from the court to his harem.

His eldest wife, Empress Meng, and stepmother, Empress Dowager Xiang (the empress of Song Shenzong) were both old parties, while Zhezong's younger wife, Concubine Liu Xian, was a new party.

Although the new party has gained an overwhelming advantage in the temple because of a capable minister like Zhang Dun, the old party has the upper hand in the struggle in the harem.

Because the leader of the old party in the harem was Empress Dowager Xiang, the official wife of Emperor Shenzong. Since among the younger brothers of Zhezong, the older King Shen was blind and could not ascend the throne, and no one below King Shen was as young as the one below, if any of them ascend the throne, according to the ancestral system, Empress Dowager Xiang should rule the country from behind.

In addition to the father's death, the son's succession, the brother's succession and two inheritance routes, the Song Dynasty also had a precedent for adopting young sons from his nephew's generation to inherit the throne. Renzong Zhao Zhen adopted his cousin Zhao Yunrang's thirteenth son, who later became the successor of Song Yingzong.

However, such an arrangement will lead to the situation where the empress dowager will be in charge of the dynasty. However, the empress dowager who is in charge of the dynasty can also be Zhao Xu's empress (if King Duan is inherited, there is no reason to let his sister-in-law leave the curtain). At present, this position belongs to Empress Meng.

Whether it is Empress Dowager Xiang’s reign or Empress Dowager Meng’s regent, the new party figures will be swept away from the temple!

Zhao Xu, an official who stood on the side of the new party, naturally did not want the old party to gain power again. The way to prevent the old party from gaining power again was to abolish Empress Meng (Empress Dowager Xiang was Zhao Xu's mother in terms of status, and his mother could not be abolished), establish Concubine Liu Xian, who was close to the new party, and then adopt a child with a nephew's generation.

In this way, Empress Dowager Liu (Concubine Liu Xian) can overwhelm the old Empress Dowager Xiang, with the support of the outside court, and ruled the country from behind.

However, according to the standards of distance, the sons of Zhao Ji and his brothers are the most legitimate. If they have no sons, Zhao Xu will adopt Shu Zongyuanfang's son, which is untenable in terms of legitimacy.

As the Empress Dowager Xiang, as the Empress Dowager Shenzong, has every reason to raise objections. If Zhao Ji and his brothers had sons, it would be legitimate.

Therefore, despite the opposition of Queen Mother Xiang to depose the Queen, Zhao Xu was preparing to adopt his nephew as his heir.

At the same time, it also means that Zhao Xu's health has already had problems and he has to make the worst preparations!

Now, for the new and old parties, the future fate depends on whether Zhao Xu dies first or his nephew is born first.

However, for a general like the Mi family, the most important thing now is to send your daughter to several princes of the Song Dynasty earlier, especially Zhao Ji, who was popular with the ascension of the throne and having children.

Mi Fu thought for a while and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since the Pan family has started moving, our Mi family cannot be left behind.

Son, do you think Wu Haogu is coming to Lianshui Army to find me?"

Mi Youren nodded, "Yes, it's almost time to come."

"Did he come for the "Eighty-Seven Immortals Picture"?"

"Yes," Mi Youren said, "in name."

"What about actually?"

Mi Youren thought for a while and said, "Maybe he wanted to ask his father to come forward to support him in Kaifeng Prefecture's calligraphy and painting business?"

"The first person in calligraphy and painting?" Mi Fu was stunned. "He is going to be an official, and he still cares about the first person in calligraphy and painting?"

"I don't think Wu Haogu is so interested in being an official," said Mi Youren. "In Chia'er's opinion, he is not the source of being an official."

"Isn't it the material for being an official?" Mi Fu thought for a while, "Then how do he want to be at the top of calligraphy and painting?"

"King Duan!" Mi Youren paused and said, "Becoming a friend of Duan... Maybe it's a teacher of Duan!"

"The Master of King Duan? I told you what I said?"

"It's the prince consort."
Chapter completed!