Chapter 20: Doze

Jian Shiyi nodded obediently.

Sitting opposite her, Zhou Shengchen asked, "What are you reading?"

When he asked, Shiyi's face turned red first, and then he pointed at the bamboo slip: it was "Shanglin Fu" written by Sima Xiangru, a famous scholar in the Western Han Dynasty.

After agreeing, Zhou Shengchen pointed to a tall bamboo tablet next to him: "Did you write this from memory?"

Jian Shiyi nodded first, then shrugged awkwardly, and gestured: "But I forgot the rest."

This poem is extremely famous, but it is difficult to recite because of the large number of words. You should be smart at this time, but it is normal for you to forget occasionally.

Zhou Shengchen stood up and walked to the writing board, reading it sentence by sentence. Jian Shiyi stood aside carefully and watched carefully.

"Oh, I remember." Zhou Shengchen said with a smile, "The fragrance is rich, the coolness is sweet; the teeth are bright, and it is suitable to smile - is this the sentence?"

Jian Shiyi immediately gave him a thumbs up and nodded again and again. Then, she picked up the brush and added this sentence, and then faded it out: long eyebrows, slight gaze, color imparting to the soul, and one side of the heart happy.

"Do you understand the meaning of this sentence?" Zhou Shengchen turned around and asked.

Nao Shiyi bowed respectfully, and then made gestures to interpret: My mother-in-law taught me, it means that a woman gives her sex to a man, and a man repays her with his soul. Love is in harmony, and the heart is tilted to the side.

After talking about it, she felt embarrassed and didn't explain any more.

Zhou Shengchen nodded and said, "You explained it very well. There are a lot of words in this poem, so you don't have to worry about memorizing it."

It is appropriate to bow briefly to express gratitude for his consideration.

"Okay, go back quickly. Your maid is anxious for you and is waiting for you outside the library." After Zhou Shengchen said this, he took her out of the library.

When he arrived outside, he first saw Cheng Xi who looked anxious. He suddenly felt that he was going to be reprimanded again and had to bow his head.

"Cheng Xi, if you want to give Miss Niao some advice in the future, please use a more asking-for-instruction tone and don't let me know that you scared her again." Zhou Shengchen said indifferently.

Cheng Xi quickly bowed and said yes, and Chu Shiyi saw it, and felt a little happy in his heart: Cheng Xi did go too far with me sometimes.

Zhou Shengchen looked at Miao Shiyi again and said, "It's good that you like reading. I will give you the key to the library so that you can read at any time."

Thinking that the books inside were very precious, Yang Shiyi was surprised at his generosity and quickly bowed and thanked him.

Looking at Cheng Xi again, Zhou Shengchen ordered: "The library is an important place. When Miss Nao is studying inside, you can only wait outside the building and cannot go in."

Cheng Xi hurriedly agreed, and then saluted him and said goodbye to Jian Shiyi before leaving in a hurry.

Zhou Shengchen clasped his hands behind his back and watched the two people leave. Feng Qiao and others came closer and said, "Master, you are so kind to my little junior sister."

Turning around, Zhou Shengchen looked at the people and said, "Have I not always been very nice to you guys? Why, the junior sister has just arrived, and you are jealous?"

Feng Qiao and others hurriedly handed over their hands and replied: "You should care about your junior sister."

Military commander Xie Chong happened to come over. When he saw this situation, he said: "Your little junior sister is young and came here from a far away place. Whether it is to us, to Xizhou, or to the palace, she is still She is a stranger. Your Highness is right to care more about her."

Feng Qiao and others shouted again and then retreated.

Xie Chong followed Zhou Shengchen back to the study, and the two immediately brought up the issue of Miao Shiyi's aphasia.

"Although I don't understand this disease, I can make a rough analysis." Xie Chong was indeed very talented and said, "Since Miss Niao got this disease due to accidental stimulation, there is still hope to cure it. Yes. However, I don’t dare to say more about which decoction or acupuncture should be used, but I have to ask the imperial doctor to see it.”

Zhou Shengchen said quickly: "She is too young to use medicine indiscriminately. As for acupuncture, I am worried that she may not be able to bear it, so I won't use it for the time being."

Seeing that he was nervous about this, Xie Chong couldn't help stroking his beard and said with a smile: "Your Highness really cares about her."

After thinking about it, Zhou Shengchen said to himself: "I haven't asked yet what exactly should I learn on Eleven."

Xie Chong couldn't help but cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness has a lot of talent and knowledge, so you can teach her as you like."

"Yes." Zhou Shengchen agreed confidently at first, and then said, "I will ask Cheng Xi tomorrow. She should know the academic progress of Shi Yi."

Xie Chong answered yes and then changed the topic.

"Your Highness, there are thousands of retainers in the royal palace, and there are various related official affairs, which are extremely cumbersome to deal with. The old ministers feel that they are dim and old, and their energy cannot keep up. Why not let Shi Yize and He Yuanqing continue to be in charge of Fu Cheng and Chang Shi duty." He said sincerely.

Zhou Shengchen had already thought very clearly about how to use Xie Chong. That means Xie Chong is talented and loyal, and Zhou Shengchen just needs to pay more attention to him and give him some power.

"The military advisor does not need to say these humble words." Zhou Shengchen replied, "I have always been assisted by you, and I know that the military advisor is loyal to me and the military and political affairs. General Shi and General He do have their talents, but since they need to continue to practice, they must continue to practice. That is, they may still have a chance to go out and fight. So,"

Having said this, Zhou Shengchen pondered for a while and then said: "What I mean is that when the military advisors return to Chang'an, they will be responsible for all the affairs of the palace, with them as assistants; if the military advisors accompany me on the expedition, then let them They do more things. Military advisor, do you think this arrangement is appropriate?!"

Although this is a question, it is obvious that the scope of the answer is very narrow. In other words, Xie Chong could only respond "yes".

Sure enough, the experienced Xie Chong handed over his hand without hesitation and said: "The veteran has already had this intention. Your Highness allows them to have more experience, and the veteran can also play a leading role. This is the best of both worlds."

"Since the military advisor has said this, let's check the map again." Zhou Shengchen then stood up and walked to the map with Xie Chong.

At present, Zhou Shengchen's sphere of influence mainly includes the following four directions: to the north is the Great Wall; to the west is the line of the Yellow River going north; to the south is the Wuguan area; and to the east is Tongguan.

This is a treasured land in Guanzhong that is said to have the strength of golden soup, but it is also very clear from the map. In order to guard against and limit his excessive power, the emperor and the court also arranged many other vassal kings and important ministers around him.

For example, at the top of the "ji" shape of the Yellow River to the north of the Great Wall, there are six important towns stretching from Yinshan to Pingcheng. Although these six towns are mainly to prevent Rouran and other barbarians, if there is a change in Guanzhong, they will swoop down from the high ground.

To the west, there is also Yu Wenjie who dominates the Hexi area. He not only intercepts the turmoil of Rouran and the Qiang people on the plateau, but also suppresses Guanzhong.

Needless to say, the south and east sides were both garrisoned by the imperial court's troops. For example, when Zhou Shengchen went to Jiangling and raided Yiyang County to Shouyang and Zhongli, he could only lead the army back and forth with the consent of the imperial court.

There are also many different forces, such as Ping Qin Wang Chao, and Jin Rong in Taiyuan County.

These are military forces that are indispensable to the court and at the same time restless. The imperial court not only had to rely on these forces to maintain overall stability, but it also had to worry about the frequent rebellions in the feudal towns in various places.

Zhou Shengchen, who wanted to seize the world, naturally had to deal with these forces wisely and courageously.

Winning over those who can become comrades in arms, intimidating those who are trying to influence both sides, and severely cracking down on those who are stubborn are the "two-handed" actions Zhou Shengchen is about to launch.

Xie Chong, who was standing nearby, checked the map and said: "Recently, there seem to be signs of a rebellion in the Great Wall area to the north of us."

Zhou Shengchen naturally knew that the six towns were about to rebel, but he still admired Xie Chong for collecting information and conducting effective analysis.

"The military advisor is right." He agreed at first, and then immediately ordered, "Order Hong Xiaoyu, Zhou Tianxing, Xie Yun and others to assemble and transport the army, baggage, grain and grass there in advance."

After hearing this, Xie Chong couldn't help frowning and thinking, and then whispered: "Your Highness, it seems a little early to do this."

"Do we have to wait until they rebel and burn to death before we go to 'put out the fire'?" Zhou Shengchen asked rhetorically.

"Your Highness, please consider it." Xie Chong said quickly, "I think that if they rebel, we can only send troops to quell the rebellion after receiving the order from the court."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Shengchen immediately replied: "Are the military advisors worried that by doing this, my king will be suspected of forcing them to rebel immediately?"

Xie Chong quickly raised his hands and said, "I am just worried that the court will accuse His Highness for this."

After a moment of silence, Zhou Shengchen said slowly: "If you are worried about these and allow those crazy people to cause more harm to the people of the world, wouldn't it be a sin that I knew and did not do!"

Seeing his cold expression, Xie Chong did not dare to say anything more.

Zhou Shengchen immediately issued a secret order, requiring Hong Xiaoyu and others to lead the army to Tongwan Town in the name of exercises and defense changes. Zhou Tianxing had returned early, and Feng Qiao, Shi Yize, You Meng, He Yuanqing and others either stayed in Chang'an or were stationed nearby to support the northward movement at any time.

While Zhou Shengchen was making arrangements, Shiyi first looked at him silently with curious eyes, and then praised Xiao Nanchen for his orderly arrangements.

After handling the official business, Zhou Shengchen ordered someone to call Cheng Xi for questioning.

After the last lesson, Cheng Xi's attitude towards Miao Shiyi was no longer like guarding against thieves, but became much gentler.

Now facing Zhou Shengchen directly again, she bowed respectfully and said hello with a trembling expression.

"I came to see you because I want to ask Miss Niao how her daily life is lately?" Zhou Shengchen asked indifferently.

Because Shen Shiyi was appointed as the Crown Princess, although there was no portrait in the past few days, her daily life was recorded by Cheng Xi in order to report it to the emperor.

Now Zhou Shengchen asked a question, Cheng Xi quickly answered truthfully: "Miss Nao is virtuous and gentle, and her words and deeds are decent."

Zhou Shengchen frowned slightly and asked, "I don't want to hear this."

Cheng Xi hurriedly replied: "Miss Nao is very adaptable to the life here. She has always said that she is grateful for His Highness's care and love."

Jian Shiyi is a heart-warming little girl who is very tolerant of external interference that breaks her life. However, Zhou Shengchen cared about her very much and indeed enabled her to live in the palace with peace of mind.

"That's good. I'm going to take a short rest, please step aside first." After Zhou Shengchen said this, he picked up the teacup and drank tea.

Cheng Xi retreated in a cold sweat, found Jian Shiyi and said, "His Highness has worked hard and finally takes a break. As his disciple, you should go and greet him."

Jian Shiyi originally liked to be close to the handsome and gentle King Xiao Nanchen. When he heard her words, he nodded quickly and gestured: I saw that he was always busy, so I didn't dare to disturb him. Now that you said he has some free time, I will go and say hello.

Then, she happily ran out of the house and trotted all the way to Zhou Shengchen's place. Cheng Xi couldn't catch up for a while, so he had to follow quickly.

When she entered the room, she saw Zhou Shengchen and looked over. With shyness, she lowered her head and came closer, prostrating herself in front of him.

"Get up quickly. I have told you not to be so polite in the palace." Zhou Shengchen stretched out his hand to help.

After Yang Shiyi gestured to say hello, he stood up and walked to his side, picked up the teacup on the table and handed it to him.

After Zhou Shengchen thanked him, he took it, and Yang Shiyi quickly bowed to him again.

"You have to salute me many times every day when you see me?" Zhou Shengchen couldn't help but asked with a smile.

Cheng Xi replied in a low voice: "As a disciple, she has to say hello to the master in the morning and evening every day, and kneel down three times each time. When the master offers her seat, she has to say goodbye three times before she can sit down. When the master has official duties, she has to wait quietly on the left side of the master so that she can sit down. Heed the call at any time..."

"Okay, please step aside first." After Zhou Shengchen finished speaking, he continued to work with his head down.

Cheng Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then gestured to Nao Shiyi: "Serve the master carefully."

Nao Shiyi nodded repeatedly and stayed beside Zhou Shengchen quietly.

Because of the numerous official duties, Zhou Shengchen, who had all the power concentrated in one body, had to deal with various affairs and forget about time and food.

After all, Jian Shiyi was young. After staying around for a long time, he couldn't help but feel sleepy.

She suppressed a yawn, but the little girl couldn't bear the interference of sleepyheads. She swayed slightly while sitting, and then unconsciously fell asleep beside the table.

Then, she slept soundly and moved again. Finding a softer and warmer place, she actually fell asleep on his lap.

Zhou Shengchen had been paying attention to her silently. At this time, Zhou Shengchen did not dare to speak or move, for fear of disturbing her nap.

He maintained this posture for a long time, with Nao Shiyi sleeping peacefully and Zhou Shengchen remaining unmoved.

There is no doubt that this is the warmest moment Zhou Shengchen has felt since he met her. He believed that she would think so when she woke up from her sleep.

If possible, Zhou Shengchen would stay in his current state and let this little girl, who he loves so much, sleep next to him forever.

But this is his wish, and it certainly cannot be achieved yet. Because the world is still very messy, he has not yet created an environment for her that would make the two of them and the whole world so stable.

No matter how confident he is, the change in reality will require all his efforts to reverse it. No matter how good his wishes were, he could only create them for them and the world by working hard forward.

Military advisor Xie Chong came into the room to report the matter, and couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw this.

Zhou Shengchen waved his hand to him, indicating that he would speak in a low voice.

"Your Highness, you can't sit still for a long time." Xie Chong persuaded in a low voice, no longer mentioning official duties.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Shengchen replied: "You asked someone to fetch my king's fur quilt."

Although Xie Chong didn't know why, he had no choice but to do as he was told.

Not long after, a large piece of fur was delivered to Zhou Shengchen.

Wrapped up in this big quilt, Zhou Shengchen slightly moved his legs and arms which were numb by her.

With a little effort, he held her in his arms, stood up and walked out.

Xie Chong watched with interest and followed him.

Cheng Xi, who had been waiting outside, saw this scene and immediately approached with an expression of surprise.