"Dad!"
Yang Nianzu jumped around in the flower bushes in open-crotch pants, laughing and fooling around. With his appearance, he couldn't even catch a butterfly. Fortunately, Taomei and Third Sister helped him. The two girls caught a butterfly and threw it on the petals for him to catch.
Young Master Yang, who had caught the butterfly, felt very good about himself and had a strong desire to show off. When he got the butterfly, he immediately turned around to report to his father. He shouted loudly and clearly, and after Butchie repeatedly corrected him, he finally knew how to call his father "Daddy".
"Well! Nianzu, good job, you're amazing! "
Yang Fan lay on the rocking chair and gave his son a thumbs up. When he was outside, he was full of energy, but when he returned home, he was like someone had pulled out all of his bones. He liked to lie down lazily.
His sweet little cotton-padded jacket was dressing up her father with great interest. Yang Fan's lips had been painted red by her, and there were two purplish red marks on his cheeks. Si Rong had crushed red petals and applied the juice on his face. There were also four or five different kinds of flowers on his head. Some were as big as bowls, and some were as small as wine cups. They were all randomly inserted by his precious daughter.
At this time, Yang Fan was dressed up like a matchmaker. Si Rong didn't stop there. She picked some flowers and continued to dress up his father, trying to make him look beautiful.
Beside the curved pond, beside the rockery, and under the long corridor, Xiao Man and Ah Nu, one in dark red and the other in green, were leaning against the railing, sprinkling fish food into the pond from time to time, causing the koi to jump up and down, splashing water, while looking at the father and son in the flowers.
Butchie said, "Langjun will definitely be promoted after doing such a big thing, right? It's time for him to go to the palace. Look at him, he doesn't care at all. "
A 'Nu said, "What's so special about it? From what I see, Langjun really doesn't care about the official position given by the imperial court. Now that he's restricted by this official position, there are some things he can't do and some things he can't do. Otherwise, wouldn't he be happier than he is now? "
As Ah Nu spoke, she unconsciously thought of Young Master Jiang. Today, Langjun had replaced Young Master Jiang's former position. If it wasn't for the fact that he was now an official and needed to be careful in everything, wouldn't his extravagance be better than that of a noble? Furthermore, he didn't need to serve a king like a tiger. How free and unfettered was that?
Xiao Man shook her head and said, "Langjun has always had great ambitions. You can't lose your position now. By the way … "Xiaoman threw away the last handful of fish food, clapped her hands, and asked Ah Nu," Did you notice anything wrong with Miss Gu? "
Anu asked curiously, "What's wrong with Master Gu?"
Xiao Man said, "Ever since she went out with Langjun this time, I noticed that the way she looked at Langjun wasn't right. She looked like she wanted to swallow Langjun whole."
A 'Nu blushed and said, "Stop talking nonsense, you make Master Gu sound like a resentful wife, that's not the case, don't let your imagination run wild. In fact, this is what happened. This time, Master Gu made a great contribution, and Langjun had no way to repay her, so he agreed to propose to the Cui family on her behalf to free her family from slavery. Master Gu was so grateful that she shed tears, that's why she was acting strangely. "
"Is that so?" Xiao Man rolled her eyes and said, "I'm afraid that this gratitude won't be repaid clearly, and will finally be repaid in bed."
A 'Nu giggled and teased, "Are you talking about yourself?"
Hearing this, Xiao Man also blushed and hurriedly explained, "No! I'm … I'm your childhood sweetheart, two childhood friends. "
A 'Nu still wanted to tease a few more words, but suddenly saw a figure flash at the end of the long corridor. She hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, stop fooling around, Master Gu is coming."
The two little women hurriedly stopped fooling around and put on a serious look. Gu Zhuting walked to their side and curiously looked at their strange pretending to be serious. She said, "Da Niang, Er Niang, it's almost time. Shouldn't we call Ah Lang to change his clothes and prepare to enter the Palace to see the Emperor?"
… …
After tidying up, Yang Fan entered the palace and arrived outside Wu Cheng Hall. Before he entered the door, he saw Wu Sansi coming out from inside. Yang Fan hurriedly moved to the side and bowed in greeting, saying, "Yang Fan greets Prince Liang!"
When Wu Sansi saw him, he couldn't help but recall how Li Xian had chased after him at the Dragon Gate to defend himself, insisting that the Prince of Luling at the Dragon Gate was indeed in disguise. It just so happened that he had thought himself clever at the time, and the result was that Li Xian had easily entered the palace.
He had already forgiven Yang Fan. Just now, when he entered the palace, his aunt had warned him in front of his face, saying that it was her idea to send Yang Fan to fetch the Prince of Luling. Moreover, she had tied Yang Fan's life and death to the Prince of Luling's. Under the Emperor's orders, unless Yang Fan was determined to die, it would be impossible for him to inform him.
However, no matter what, Yang Fan had, in the end, wronged him. Later on, even though he had told him the truth, Wu Sansi did not believe him. This loss of face was too great, and he really could not put down his pride and calmly talk to Yang Fan. As a result, he could only snort heavily and leave with a flick of his sleeve. He was a prince, a prince of the Wu clan. Regardless of whether he had done wrong or misunderstood Yang Fan, it was impossible for him to lower his head to Yang Fan.
Yang Fan looked at Wu Sansi's departing figure with a bitter smile, then walked into the Martial Achievement Hall. He naturally did not have extravagant hopes of repairing his relationship with Wu Sansi right now. However, with what he had done at the Dragon Gate, his relationship with Wu Sansi would at least not worsen. As for how to repair it … he would have to take his time. As long as the Wu clan did not fall, there would still be value in hugging this thigh.
When Yang Fan arrived at the Martial Achievement Hall, he swept his gaze around and saw Wan 'er standing at Wu Zetian's side. He couldn't help but feel relieved. No matter what, he wouldn't have to put on a killing display like last time.
"This subject, Yang Fan, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"Mm!"
Wu Zetian replied indifferently, then asked, "Did you run into King Liang?"
"Yes! This subject just met with King Liang outside the hall. "
Wu Zetian smiled and said, "I summoned King Liang just now and explained to him how I sent you to bring him back to Luling. I told him not to blame you, and that he would invite you to the King Liang Clan's banquet on another day. When the time comes, you can offer him a cup of water and wine as an apology. That way, he won't be too upset. Don't worry, I will uphold justice for you. "
Yang Fan hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Wu Zetian said, "However, speaking of which, this matter really needs to be clarified. Yang Fan! "
"This subject is here!"
"King Liang has shown you great kindness, and you should naturally repay him. However, you are also my subject, so you should be loyal to me. If there is a conflict between the orders of the two, whose orders should you listen to? "
Yang Fan didn't hesitate at all. He immediately replied, "Those who lead the land are the subjects of the king. This subject should be loyal to the emperor! "
Wu Zetian's eyes narrowed. She continued to ask, "What if the emperor is no longer me in the future?"
Yang Fan was startled. He vaguely sensed that it might be inappropriate to answer that he was the new emperor. However, if he said that he wasn't loyal to the new emperor, then it would overturn the theory that subjects should be loyal to their ruler. There seemed to be a hole that couldn't be filled in here, and he couldn't answer it. As such, he hurriedly put on a frightened expression and said, "Your Majesty is healthy and has a boundless lifespan. Why do you say such a thing?"
Wu Zetian didn't pursue the matter any further. She only chuckled and said, "You shouldn't have to answer this question in the first place, so I won't make things difficult for you. However, you must remember …"
Wu Zetian's expression became solemn. She said word by word, "As long as I am alive, you will only be loyal to me. If you can do it, you will enjoy riches and glory! If you can't, you will die! "
Yang Fan hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty's teachings will be engraved in my heart!"
Wu Zetian suddenly said thoughtfully, "I heard from the cavalry and the internal guards that you all experienced hardships and dangers along the way back from Fangzhou, and there was even a traitor?"
Yang Fan knew that she must have understood what happened from the cavalry and the internal guards, so he didn't explain further. He only said, "Yes!"
Wu Zetian sighed and said, "I have tied your life and death to the life and death of Luling. I didn't expect that under such circumstances, there would still be people who dare to betray me. Money, silk, and fame have blinded your mind. What loyalty and righteousness is there to speak of? What respect is there in your heart?"
She let out a long sigh and suddenly asked, "If I now authorize you to start anew and recruit a troop of one thousand people, can you ensure that all of them are loyal and there are no traitors?"
Yang Fan was slightly surprised. Seeing that Wu Zetian was staring at him, he didn't have time to think and immediately answered, "I can't!"
This answer was out of Wu Zetian's expectation. Wu Zetian frowned and said, "I can't?"
Wan 'er also glanced at him with concern, afraid that his answer would offend the Emperor.
Yang Fan said with certainty, "Yes! I can't! I believe that no one in the world can do it! "
Wu Zetian was very unhappy and said lightly, "Tell me the reason!"
Yang Fan said, "If it is three people, I can! Five people, I can also! Twenty people, I can barely do it! One hundred people, that is impossible. As the saying goes, people come in all shapes and sizes! Everyone has their own thoughts, their own pursuits, their own wishes, and their interests and personalities are all different. To have everyone work together in the face of any temptation and not be moved is an impossible thing, not to mention one thousand people … "
Wu Zetian's expression became uglier and uglier. Since Yang Fan had already spoken, she couldn't care less and continued to say, "When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. When a person is too observant, there will be no disciples. Your Majesty is a great strategist and the founder of the country. I believe that you understand the truth of these words a hundred times better than I do. If Your Majesty orders me to form a new army of one thousand people, I cannot guarantee that every single one of them will be absolutely loyal, and there is no need to guarantee that every single one of them will be absolutely loyal. It is enough as long as the majority of them are loyal. Just like this time, when we protected the Prince of Luling back to the capital, there was a traitor among them, but he couldn't do anything to the Prince of Luling. In the end, he was used by us. "
Wu Zetian was silent for a while and suddenly laughed. Looking back at Wan 'er, she said self-deprecatingly, "I actually understood this truth a long time ago. But when I get old, my heart becomes naive and I actually want to do something that I can't do. "
She shook her head and said to Yang Fan, "I am very happy that you can be frank with me and not beat around the bush. I had originally planned for you to start from scratch and train a new army. Now that I think about it, it really was an unnecessary move. Soldiers are recruited from the people. Can't those who have the heart recruit one or two? On the other hand, the new army needs to be trained from the beginning and it is hard to guarantee their battle power.
How about this, I will give you one hundred cavalry. You can use one hundred cavalry as the base and then recruit and expand. You can change 'one hundred cavalry' to 'one thousand cavalry' and be my 'one thousand cavalry general'! "
…
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