Although Beimian Mountain is only twenty or thirty miles away from Luoyang, it is quiet and peaceful compared to the prosperous Luoyang City. In a blink of an eye, Fengxue has been practicing with Mrs. Lu in Jinglu, Mangshan for half a month. Liu Xiuwei was so busy with the wedding that he had no time to see her. It was not until Rikangfeng came to say goodbye that he remembered that it was time to go and see Fengxue.

Wang Chu prepared some wine, food and clothes, and went with her child with Liu Xiu. She has made her very tired these days. It is a very rare enjoyment to have the opportunity to be quiet in Jinglu, Mangshan for a few days.

The carriage drove out of the Tai Chi Taoist Hall and headed north along the west road of Luoyang City. Liu Xiu held his daughter, pointed at Luoyang City in the distance, and told her the name of the city gate one by one. Xiao Liuhe blinked his big black eyes and quietly looked at the smiling stranger, and looked at the mother sitting next to him from time to time. Although Liu Xiu had been back for a while, he didn't spend much time with her. In her world, Liu Xiu was just a person who suddenly appeared.

But looking at the smile on my mother's face, she knew that this person was not in danger.

Wang Chu leaned against the wall of the car, looking at his husband who was holding his daughter and nagging like an old woman, and a warm heat surged in his heart. What she was most worried about was that she had only given birth to one daughter and could not add an heir to Liu Xiu, who was in urgent need of inheritance. Now seeing Liu Xiu's heartfelt love for his daughter, all his worries disappeared, and all that was left was rich sweetness.

These sweetness diluted the worries caused by Fengxue. She believed that Liu Xiu would not forget her because of Fengxue. Of course, taking advantage of Liu Xiu's opportunity to have another son is the most important thing. When Wang Chu thought of this, his ears became hot and his whole body trembled a little.

"What's wrong with you?" Liu Xiu turned his head and looked at her with a smile: "Don't feel comfortable?"

"No, no." Wang Chu blushed and shook his head to deny it. She knew that Liu Xiu would not believe her explanation easily, but she also knew that since Liu Xiu began to study room art, the progress has been going on for a long time. His hands seemed to have the power to make people demon. Now, as soon as Liu Xiu touched her body, his condition would definitely be worse. She was afraid that Liu Xiu would come to check it out, so she asked: "What happened outside? The car was walking so slowly?"

Liu Xiu knocked on the carriage, and Liu Bei rushed over. After hearing Liu Xiu's doubts, he smiled, "Jiuyang Pavilion is now a magic settlement for all places to come to Beijing. They set up stalls here to tell fortunes and earn some living expenses. Recently, it is said that in Beijing that they will fight against the Xianbei people, including the Northern Army and the palace officials, all of whom are going to go on a war. Many people come to ask questions, and the business is several times better than usual, and even the roads are occupied, so it is also for safety."

"Is that?" Liu Xiu was in a heavy mood and silently put down the curtain of the car. Yuan Shao had returned to Luoyang. These days, the demeanor of the scholar leader was revealed. However, Yuan Shao's former boss was pale in comparison. Although the business of Tai Chi Taoist Hall was not good, there were few famous scholars who were willing to visit. During the time when he was not in Luoyang, Tai Chi Taoist Hall was far from the glory of the beginning of its opening.

Of course, he was not jealous of Yuan Shao. Although he was indeed a little jealous of Yuan Shao, he was worried about the war in the northern border. Although the emperor had not issued a final edict, from various signs, the Northern Expedition was a foregone conclusion. Yuan Shao was likely to be the chief general. Situ Yuan Wei was using his power and the unimaginable connections in the Yuan family to collect taxes from various places for this year, and making every effort to prepare for the Northern Expedition.

Food and grass are not actually a problem. Jiaozhou has saved a certain amount of rice peddling in the past two years, and the harvest in Bingzhou in May this year is also good. In addition, the food and grass allocated by the court, it is enough to support the war for several months. The problem is that several months cannot solve the final problem. Liu Xiu always felt that the Yuan family was actually planning to make a living by the Northern Expedition to fight for military achievements. Just win a battle. Whether the Xianbei problem can be finally solved is not among their considerations. Perhaps it is easier for them to gain military power.

To put it bluntly, this is a political achievement project that has devoted the whole country to the public. But the problem is that not only the Yuan family needs this political achievement project, but the emperor also needs it. So everyone is tacit, and they are willing to do it, and no one can tell it. As for how to fight to the death in the future, it is not the most important issue now, so everyone can make some preparations in their hearts at most.

Seeing that Liu Xiu was in a bad mood, Wang Chu thought he was frustrated by losing his military power again. Listening to the noisy sound outside, she remembered the minister she met in Yuanling, Beimeng, and couldn't help but sigh. Just as she was thinking about how to relieve Liu Xiu, she suddenly felt a familiar voice. She sat up and listened carefully. Liu Xiu looked at her in surprise, and soon noticed something strange, lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wang Chu gently opened the car window and waved to Liu Xiu: "Husband, come and see, it's the long-faced man holding a green banner."

Liu Xiu followed her fingers and immediately understood. He was a middle-aged man with a medium figure, leaning on a green banner about ten feet in his left hand, with eight big words on the banner: "Innate Yishu, Iron Mouth God Judgment". There were a group of people in front of him, just as he was obsessed with listening to his foolings. The man had some white foam accumulated on the corner of his mouth, and he was speaking happily. I don't know if he felt the murderous aura in Liu Xiu's eyes or saw something, but his eyes suddenly swept over here, and his expression was obviously stunned.

"You hold the child." Liu Xiu stuffed his daughter into Wang Chu's arms, got up and got out of the carriage, and was about to call Liu Bei and others to chase him. He looked up but was stunned.

The monk is gone.

Liu Xiu was secretly surprised. This guy is not just pretending to be a ghost. This kind of alertness and speed are enough to be called a master. He quickly glanced at the crowd, pointed to the fruit seller in the distance and shouted: "Oh, fruit seller, come here."

When a few vendors selling fruits heard this, they all gathered around. Liu Xiu chose a few, paid, and then carried a pile of fruit back to the carriage and signaled Liu Bei to continue moving forward. When Wang Chu saw it, he was very surprised. Liu Xiu had no time to explain to him, and knocked on the carriage on the other side. Hao Zhao responded softly outside the carriage.

"Bo Dao, don't turn around. Come back later and observe if there is a monk wearing a single yellow robe with a green banner about ten feet in his hand. He is about forty years old, with a long face, short beard, and a wart on his left chin."

"Here." Hao Zhao sat on the horse quietly, and as the carriage continued to move forward, he walked about twenty steps before quietly leaving the convoy.

"What's wrong?" Wang Chu hugged his daughter nervously.

"Nothing." Liu Xiu took his daughter and smiled, "The monk was very alert. I just looked at him and he seemed to know. He hid it without giving me a chance." Liu Xiu thought about it and shook his head again: "Probably the carriage sign in our gym is too obvious."

"That... it's such a pity." Wang Chu sighed in frustration: "If you catch him and hand him over to His Majesty, you may be able to clear His Majesty's doubts."

"It's okay, Bo Dao has gone. I believe that as long as he doesn't run far, he should not be Bo Dao's opponent."

"Bo Dao is still a child, can it work? You should let Zhongkang go." Wang Chu was a little anxious and accused Liu Xiu of a rare sentence. She always felt that it was that sentence that sowed the seeds of distrust of Liu Xiu in the heart of the emperor. At this moment, she had the opportunity to prove her innocence, and she didn't want to let it go.

"Women's opinion." Liu Xiu smiled and pinched Wang Chu's nose and shook it: "Zhongkang's physique can tell he is a master at any point. The accuser is born with a dog nose and can smell murderous aura about ten steps away. Although Zhongkang's martial arts are good, he is not good at speed. How can he catch up with that extremely slippery guy? Although Bo Dao is only fifteen years old, his martial arts are very good, and he has a good archery technique to penetrate Yang with a hundred steps. As long as that guy enters his eyes, it will be difficult to escape."

Wang Chu breathed a sigh of relief, knocked Liu Xiu's hand off, and said coquettishly: "Husband is talking about a dog's nose, why should I pinch my nose?"

Liu Xiuyile withdrew his hand and pointed his daughter's little face.

Hao Zhao never came back. Liu Xiu gradually became a little worried. Just when he was about to send a few tiger soldiers to pick him up, Hao Zhao rode on his horse, looking ashamed. "Sir, my subordinates searched around several times, but they didn't see what the master said."

Liu Xiu frowned, thought for a while, and said nothing more. Wang Chu was very disappointed and couldn't help but complain a few times. Liu Xiu comforted him and said, "It might be that he was careful when he saw my carriage and did not dare to show up. However, I saw that he had a good business just now, and I thought he would not leave Luoyang so soon. When I painted his portrait and gave it to His Majesty, let His Majesty catch him."

Wang Chu agreed unhappily. After arriving in Jinglu, Liu Xiu's first thing was to ask someone to find paper and pen, and quickly draw a portrait of the monk, and ask Liu Bei to go to the palace when he went back and hand it over to the emperor. He believed that the emperor would arrange for someone to want.

Seeing that Liu Xiu was arranged properly, the portrait was painted vividly. I think as long as the emperor took action, the possibility of success was quite high. Even if it was not successful, at least the emperor would smell the conspiracy in the portrait, which would alleviate some suspicion of Liu Xiu. Wang Chu felt much more relaxed, and he talked and laughed with Fengxue who was greeting, as if he was a sister, without any grudges.

Fengxue was even more anxious to talk to Liu Xiu. She held Liu Xiu's hand and said, "Husband, there are also those gods you mentioned in our hometown."

Liu Xiu was stunned for a while before remembering what she meant. "You guys have it too?"

"Yes, yes." Feng Xue clapped his hands and shouted, "When I heard Master Lu talk that day, I remembered the stories told in the ancient scriptures. The war between Ahura Mazda and Angela Manuel lasted for 12,000 years. They also used many powerful weapons. The dust stirred up during the war blocked the sun. The sky and the earth were dark. Angela Manuel almost destroyed the seven major matters and allowed the dark world to rule the entire human race. It was the God of Light Ahura Mazda illuminated the heaven and earth with all its omnipotent light, drove away the evil gods, and saved us, so we all have to thank the God of Light..."

Liu Xiu was very curious. There was such a myth in China and such a legend in Persians, which was a bit strange. He asked Fengxue in detail about that story. Unfortunately, although Fengxue wanted him to convert to her religion, he knew only a limited understanding of this story, and he couldn't explain it clearly when asked about the details.

Seeing that Liu Xiu and Feng Xue were talking enthusiastically, Wang Chu felt a little sad. When Lu saw that he pulled her and asked the two brothers Zhang Lu to come out to pay their respects. With the interruption of their mother and son, Wang Chu's mood improved, especially when she saw the lively and active Zhang Wei, she became happier the more she looked at it.

"Why didn't Sister Yingzi come?" Zhang Lu asked in disappointment.

"She is busy slimming down the weight these two days, and she is mingling with the queen every day." Wang Chu laughed happily when he thought of Tang Yingzi. Liu Xiu said that Tang Yingzi was too fat, and Tang Yingzi became concerned. From then on, he didn't dare to eat all over the place. When he saw the food, his face twitched. He was so greedy that he didn't dare to eat well. But after Liu Xiu came back, the food in the gym was a little better than usual. Tang Yingzi endured the torture every day, and finally couldn't help it. He heard that the queen was losing weight, so he hid in the palace.

When Wang Chu talked about losing weight, Lu also remembered that Liu Xiu had asked about this and smiled and said, "Madam, I want to practice losing weight, too?"

"Me?" Wang Chu looked at Lu in surprise, then turned his eyes to Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu quickly shook his hand and said, "Madam, I'm not saying that she is. A Chu is right now, not fat at all. It can be said that he is too fat if he increases one point and loses one point too thin..."

"What husband means is that I was too thin before?" Wang Chu suppressed his smile and pretended to be angry.

"Uh... At that time, it was too fat if you gained one point, and it was too thin if you lost one point."

"Then my husband or I'm too fat now?"

"No." Liu Xiu was a little overwhelmed. As expected, he couldn't talk about fatness and thinness with women. "At that time, you were an unmarried woman, and now you are a young woman with children. This cannot be measured by a standard." Liu Xiu was afraid that she would ask again, so he quickly turned to Lu and said, "Madam, what are the dangers of practicing fasting?"

Lu was so funny that she couldn't help but smile. After hearing Liu Xiu's words, she reluctantly stopped her smile and shook her head and said, "As long as we do it, there will be no danger. Whether we can succeed depends on whether the person's will is firm enough and whether he can endure that process. It's not good to feel hungry. However, just as the waist and legs will become numb at the beginning of practice, as long as he gets through this level, he can experience joy that ordinary people can't understand."

Liu Xiu thought about it and felt that although Empress Song was not smart enough, she was still tough. For the sake of their Song family, she should be able to survive. He told Mrs. Lu about Empress Song. When he heard that she was the queen, Lu was a little excited and nervous. He agreed to make proper arrangements based on her own situation after seeing Empress Song.

...

Jian Shuo hurried into the hall and handed the portrait to the emperor. The emperor just glanced at it and his body was shocked: "Where did it come from?"

"The General of the Northern Middle School just sent someone to send him." Jian Shuo said: "The man is still outside the palace."

"Immediately announce that he will enter the palace. I will ask him personally." The emperor waved his hand, frowned, and was a little angry: "Why don't he do this kind of thing by himself? He just sent someone to stay at home for a long time, and it's a bit loose."

Jian Shuo did not dare to talk too much, so he hurriedly asked someone to go to Xuan Liu Bei. It took not long. Liu Bei bowed his hand and walked in quickly. When he saw the emperor, he knelt down and kowtowed. "The attendant of Yongle Palace, please pay homage to Your Majesty."

When the emperor saw that Liu Bei was tall, handsome, and spoke loudly, his eyes lit up. After listening to his self-report, he remembered that he was the servant who was often seen in Yongle Palace. He heard that he was the one whom the Queen Mother liked.

"You are Liu Bei? I heard that you are a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan?"

"Your Majesty clearly understands this, that's exactly what it means." Liu Bei replied loudly.

"Hahaha..." The emperor clapped his palms and said with a smile: "There are also young men like Qing in the royal family. I am very happy. Get up and tell me what's going on."

Liu Bei told him about the incident when he accidentally met the ostentatious man on the road, and specifically mentioned that the ostentatious man was very alert. Even Liu Xiuming's plan to repair the plank road and secretly traveled to Chen Cang, he was extremely skilled and seemed not as simple as a ostentatious man.

Liu Bei spoke in a tortuous way, and the emperor was also very interested in Liu Bei's expression ability, especially Liu Bei's use of vocabulary when speaking, not as straightforward as Liu Xiu's words and a hint of ruffianism.

"Have you read a book?"

Liu Bei said modestly: "I followed my son Mr. Gan to read the "Shangshu", but I am stupid and I will not be allowed to do so."

The emperor laughed: "That's right. At least in terms of study, you are stronger than Liu Xiu. He can't say so many warnings in the scriptures. Since he is almost in a weak position, do you have any plans?"

"I plan to take this year's exam and then play for the country."

"Exam?" The emperor smiled and his face was a little unnatural. He was silent for a moment before asking lightly: "Do you think the exam has a future?"

"Yes." Liu Bei said without hesitation: "I think that the aristocratic families monopolize the classics and compete for scholars with the country, just as the powerful and the country compete for wealth, are the root of forming cliques for private purposes. Only when all the scholars in the world take loyalty to Your Majesty rather than to private parties can they eliminate the fact that they are forming cliques."

The emperor nodded repeatedly, asked Liu Bei a few more words, and then asked him to step down. He called Jian Shuo, "Go and ask Zong Zheng to check the genealogy of Liu Bei and see his seniority. This is a talent that is useful. I have been a little negligent before." He frowned, and was a little unhappy: "So Liu Xiu, even though he knew that such a talent was by his side, he would not recommend it to me."

Jian Shuo smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this Liu Bei entered Yongle Palace, isn't it recommended by Liu Xiu."

The emperor smiled and knew that the responsibility was more of his own than Liu Xiu. He looked at the portrait in his hand and praised again: "Liu Xiu's paintings are indeed exquisite. Although these strokes are simple, they are vivid and exactly the same as what I remember. It seems that the sacrificial wine learned by Hongdumen is the one that is the one he must have."

Jian Shuo didn't say anything. The emperor was planning to build the Hongdu Gate School recently, but because the Northern Expedition not only made him so busy that he couldn't get rid of himself, but also exhausted every money he had. Hongdu Gate School has been stuck on paper.

"Call Wang Yue."

Wang Yue soon came to the hall and saluted the emperor. The emperor handed the portrait to his hands, gritted his teeth and said, "Leave this matter to you, find this person, and bring him to my presence."

"Yi." Wang Yue did not dare to be negligent, so he took the portrait and bowed.

...

Liu Xiu walked into Lantai swaggeringly. Yuan Hui quickly stood aside to greet him. Liu Xiu accepted her disciple's gift calmly, nodded, and sat on the chairman whom Yuan Hui gave out. He took the tea handed over by the palace maids with one hand, turned on the painting handed over by Yuan Hui with the other hand, and nodded with praise: "Beauty Yuan is indeed smart and has made great progress. At this speed, at most two months, I have nothing to teach you."

"Sir, I'm too rewarded." Yuan Hui humbly bowed back, but felt a little unhappy. "Sir, my disciples have not yet won a hundred yuan in their skills, so how can I bear to abandon my disciples?"

"Hahaha..." Liu Xiu glanced at Yuan Hui, and saw Yuan Hui felt guilty and quickly lowered his head. Liu Xiu put down his drawings and looked at the sky outside for a moment of contemplation: "Does Beauty Yuan always be in this yard and rarely go out?"

Yuan Hui took a look inexplicably and thought to himself, what does this have to do with painting?

"The person in your painting has a kind of humility but no spirit. Although the scenery in your painting is beautiful, it is a bit dusk." Liu Xiu stood up and hung the painting and pointed it to Yuan Hui one by one: "Look, although your color is exquisite, it is more dark. How could the whole picture have a bright color? Although this lady held the book in her hand, her eyebrows were very humble. If she didn't talk about her clothes, just from her spirit, would she look like a maid, not a young and lively girl? Even this red upper jacket, the color is dim and not bright enough?"

Yuan Hui was convinced. She felt that the painting was very good. After seeing it, the emperor praised her for making rapid progress, her writing and ink became more and more exquisite, and her characters were also very vivid, but she looked very depressed. At that time, she didn't know why. Now, after Liu Xiuyi said that, she knew why the emperor felt depressed.

"Go out for a walk more often and always be with these old things, and people will become dusk." Liu Xiu pointed to the stone houses where books were collected: "And here are either stones or water that has been prepared for a long time. It is cold and unmane. It is naturally good for books, but it is very quiet for people. After staying for a long time, your mood will be affected and will become... dark."

Yuan Hui was stunned, his eyes were a little dim. Liu Xiu's words suddenly hit the most secret pain deep in her heart. She forced a smile: "Thank you for your advice, sir."

"Haha, I said, what you see in your eyes and think in your heart will draw something." Liu Xiu laughed twice, broke the dull atmosphere, and pointed to the painting and said: "For example, this woman, judging from her expression, probably holding a book that is not a classic of saints, but a book that focuses on conspiracy. The smile on her lips was thinking of some conspiracy?"

Yuan Hui's face was a little unnatural. "Sir, have you thought too much."

"Features are born from the heart." Liu Xiu touched his chin, looked at it for a moment, and suddenly said to himself: "Am I very much like a pretentious and nonsense actor who pretends to be a god or talks nonsense?"

Yuan Hui was silent for a moment and replied with a smile: "What sir said is very true."

Liu Xiu laughed!!!
Chapter completed!