30Chapter 30: Urgent News From the Southwest

Chapter 30 Southwest Urgent News

With a source of goods, it is easy to open a shop. Mu Hanzhang asked Zhou Jin to find a two-room shop on the street where Huiweilou is located, and asked Mr. Yun to find a famous carpenter and silver shop in the capital to order a batch of exquisite wooden and silver boxes.

"What does the princess want these boxes for?" Yunzhu asked Mu Hanzhang while holding a pile of finished boxes. These boxes are exquisitely made and even more expensive than those perfumes. Isn't the princess losing money by doing this?

Mu Hanzhang took a silver box and smiled without saying a word, and asked Yunzhu to carry them to the yard of the wet nurse's family. The perfumes sent from Jiangnan are mostly in bamboo tubes and iron boxes. The price is not high. Even if the price is raised, the best ones can only be sold for a hundred coins. But it is different with exquisite boxes. There are many dignitaries in the capital, and the more expensive things are, the more people will buy them.

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-May, and the shop was already well managed. When the second batch of goods arrived, Mu Hanzhang's small shop selling perfume was officially opened.

The elegantly decorated shop was half-closed with bamboo curtains, and a bamboo plaque was hung on the door with three elegant and powerful characters "Mo Lian Ju".

"Mo" refers to the Mo Garden where the male wives often go, and "Lian" means fragrance. Because at the party this month, Mu Hanzhang took some perfume in wooden boxes and gave it to those male wives. One person told ten people, ten people told a hundred people, and on the opening day, people who came to buy things and watch the excitement almost blocked the door.

Unlike the opening of ordinary shops, there would be firecrackers and lion dances. Mu Hanzhang invited famous musicians in the capital to play the piano in front of the store. The faint music was endless and extremely elegant. Seeing this, people didn't want to make a noise, so they just watched quietly.

The perfume in the shop is divided into several grades, including iron boxes, wooden boxes, and silver boxes. The prices vary greatly. The iron box is only a hundred or so coins, the wooden box is one to two taels of silver, and the silver box is dozens or even hundreds of taels.

Since his brother went to the southwest, Jing Shao has to face the fourth prince alone in the court every day, without even a person to exchange secret signals. He is very unhappy, so he stays in bed every morning and doesn't want to go to court. Mu Hanzhang always calls him three or four times before he is willing to get up.

However, in recent days, Jing Shao suddenly began to like going to court, because of the urgent news from the southwest that the eldest prince was in danger in Yunnan and Tibet, and his life and death were uncertain. The eldest prince would write a report back to Beijing every day, but now there has been no news for more than ten days.

Today, the report from the Governor of Yunnan and Tibet was delivered, and the course of events was clear. As soon as the eldest prince entered Yunnan and Tibet, he was eager to attack the southern barbarians and did not listen to advice. There is a lot of miasma in the forests in the southwest. Not long after the army entered the mountains, many soldiers fell ill due to breathing miasma. Last month, the eldest prince led his troops into the mountains and got into a hard battle. He has not returned yet. The three thousand miles of urgent delivery also delayed seven or eight days. It is impossible to know whether the eldest prince is alive or dead.

"Father, for now, we need to send troops to rescue immediately, otherwise, my eldest brother will be in danger!" The fourth prince Jingyu knelt on the ground and said anxiously. Whether it was true or false, his tearful look was sincere.

"It's too late to send troops now. We must mobilize troops nearby." The Minister of War said in a deep voice.

"Waste!" Emperor Hongzheng was so angry that he threw the memorial in his hand to the ground.

The court was silent for a while. The prince went to war to deter the southern barbarians and appease the people. Now the eldest prince has been in a hard battle just one month after arriving. He is in danger and his life is uncertain, which brings endless trouble to the court. The court officials didn't say anything, but they felt that the eldest prince was really incompetent.

"Father, calm down. I have a solution." Jing Shao saw that the time was almost right, so he took a step forward and bowed.

"Speak." Emperor Hongzheng took a deep breath and looked at Jing Shao.

"The Southwest fiefdom is closest to Yunnan and Tibet. I heard that the Southwest is strong and powerful. Why not let the King of the Southwest send troops to reinforce my eldest brother." Jing Shao lowered his head and hid the cold light in his eyes. He knew the King of the Southwest very well after dealing with him for several years. He was cunning and petty. If he was asked to send troops, he would definitely refuse back and forth. The Southwest is 3,000 miles away from Beijing. Even if he only refused once, it would take at least a month to go back and forth, plus the time spent on the road. Whether he can survive by then depends on the luck of his eldest brother.

Emperor Hongzheng frowned. He was also very suspicious of the tribute from the Southwest. Letting the King of the Southwest send troops was just a chance to see if the King of the Southwest really had a rebellious heart. After looking at Jing Shao with appreciation, Emperor Hongzheng issued an order, ordering the King of Southwest to send troops to reinforce the eldest prince and quell the rebellion of the southern barbarians. If the eldest prince is rescued, the tribute of Southwest will be exempted for the rest of the year.

Jing Shao returned to the palace in a good mood, and saw his own princess sitting on the soft couch, smiling and looking at the account book. He couldn't help but feel a little itchy, and took the account book away and said, "You are so happy just to look at the account book, is this account book better than me?"

Mu Hanzhang looked at the guy who was getting more and more shameless, and didn't get angry, "If compared with others, you are naturally better looking than anyone, but..." He stretched out the tail tone, took advantage of Jing Shao's grin, and snatched the account book, "This account book is not a person." After saying that, he started to look at it again.

The business has been very popular since it just opened today. The cost of those things is not high, just the box is more expensive, but the total is less than 30% of the selling price, and it really makes a lot of money.

"Hmph!" Jing Shao threw his princess down on the couch in dissatisfaction, "My eldest brother is in danger in Yunnan and Tibet, and I don't know whether he is dead or alive."

"Really?" Mu Hanzhang turned his eyes away from the account book after hearing this.

Jing Shao roughly told the court what happened, sighed softly and said: "If the King of Southwest angers my father, the withdrawal of the vassal state will be imminent."

Mu Hanzhang lowered his eyes and said softly: "In the current situation, the withdrawal of the vassal state will inevitably involve a war. Will the prince go?"

Jing Shao sat up, took a deep breath, and nodded slowly: "If there is a war, I will definitely go. Only I am sure to pacify the Three Feudatories!" The bright candlelight reflected Jing Shao's resolute profile, with undisguised pride and a steady and powerful voice, as if he had already been on the battlefield, facing 300,000 soldiers, and declared war with heroic spirit!

Mu Hanzhang looked at him steadily, pursed his lips, and said after a long time: "You are a capable person, and I have implicated you." This person has the talent of a general as good as Taizu, but it's a pity that he was born at the wrong time.

"Jun Qing!" Hearing this, Jing Shao's heart ached inexplicably. That year on the cliff of Fengyue Mountain, Jun Qing said this, you are a capable person, and I have implicated you... I couldn't help but raise my voice.

Mu Hanzhang was yelled at by him, looked up, and met a pair of slightly red eyes. He realized that he had said the wrong thing, and immediately panicked: "Xiao Shao... I..."

Jing Shao hugged the man who was talking nonsense into his arms, hugged him tightly, as if to strangle him into flesh and blood: "Don't say that again, do you hear me!"

Feeling that the arms around him were still tightening, Mu Hanzhang was strangled and hurt, and couldn't help frowning, but didn't cry out in pain, just stretched out his hands to hug him back: "I remember, I won't say that again... um..." At the end, he couldn't help but groan.

Jing Shao woke up and hurriedly let go of his hands: "Did it hurt you?"

Mu Hanzhang shook his head, but Jing Shao forcibly stripped him of his clothes. He saw that the originally white upper arm was strangled with two deep red marks, and gradually turned into purple. Jing Shao felt very distressed, and took the medicinal wine to rub him carefully. As he rubbed it, the taste changed. His eyes, which were originally distressed, gradually darkened. His fingers dipped in medicinal wine slowly slid to his shoulders, and then slid from his shoulders to his chest.

"Hmm..." Mu Hanzhang hurriedly grasped his hand that was spinning on a cherry red, and looked around. This was still the outer room, and the maids would come in at any time, so he couldn't do it here.

Jing Shao didn't plan to stop, and hugged the person in his arms, holding a pink ear: "Jun Qing, can we consummate our marriage today?" The scene on the cliff passed through his mind again and again, and he was so heartbroken that he wanted to possess the person in his arms, to merge with him, so that he could confirm that he was still alive, living in his arms; so that he could confirm that this was not a dream, and all the misery had not yet happened!

Mu Hanzhang heard this, and his eyes widened as if struck by lightning. Consummation... Consummation? They had been married for more than two months, and except for the wedding night, they really had never done it to the end. First, he was afraid of the pain of having his body torn apart. Second, Jing Shao knew he was afraid but never forced him, so he pretended not to know and fooled around.

Turning his head to look at the person holding him, in those handsome eyes, in addition to the usual tenderness and compassion, there was also a hint of panic. The action of kissing him was also a little flustered, as if he was eager to confirm something. Mu Hanzhang knew that if he didn't want to, he would definitely not force himself, but looking at Jing Shao like this today, he really couldn't bear to refuse again. At most, he could endure it for another night, as long as he could stop being so sad.

Mu Hanzhang was silent for a long time. When Jing Shao was about to give up, he slowly nodded and whispered: "Go back to bed... Okay..."

Jing Shao was stunned for a moment, picked up the person in his arms horizontally, stood up, ran to the inner room with Qinggong, and kicked the door with a "bang"!