Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

The next morning.

Zhou Chuxuan walked out of the room refreshed, straightened his collar, and slowly paced back and forth in the yard, with a hint of thought in his eyes.

"Your Highness, the syrup and hawthorns you asked me to prepare yesterday are all here!" Lao Yang came to Zhou Chuxuan carrying a large box from a distance.

Zhou Chuxuan turned around and stirred the syrup with a small stick, a smile on his face: "Not bad, not bad!"

"Your Highness, what do you want these for?" Lao Yang scratched his head, not knowing what Zhou Chuxuan meant.

"We are going to Liang Country for a marriage alliance, so of course we have to prepare some gifts for them!" Zhou Chuxuan put down the stick, picked up two hawthorns and weighed them in his hand.

"A meeting gift? Ah! You mean the betrothal gift? Wouldn't His Majesty prepare this for you?" The old sheep was startled, blinked his eyes and smiled.

Zhou Chuxuan curled his lips slightly: "Vulgar! How can gold, silver and treasures show the sincerity of our Wu Dynasty?"

Then, Zhou Chuxuan glanced around the room, put his arm around Lao Yang's shoulders, and whispered in a low voice, "Lao Yang, do you know how to attract a woman?"

"Ah?" Old Sheep looked puzzled. "Your Highness, I'm just a rough warrior. How can I know so much?"

"Of course I have to be original! How can those conventional things attract a woman? Even if it works out in the end, her body is here, but her heart is not here!"

"So, if you want to control a woman, you have to learn how to arouse her interest! Oh, no, why am I talking to you about this?"

Zhou Chuxuan suddenly realized what he was talking about with an old gang member to attract women?

"Go, wash those hawthorns. I'll need them later!"

The old sheep, who was suddenly pushed away by Zhou Chuxuan, blinked his eyes, obviously not reacting.

Near noon, Xu Hanyan walked out of the room, gently holding on to the wall, her walking posture somewhat unnatural.

Seeing Zhou Chuxuan busy in the yard, Xu Hanyan blinked her beautiful eyes: "What are you doing?"

Zhou Chuxuan straightened up, stuck the last candied haws on the straw, clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Get ready to go to Liang Country!"

"Is this edible?" Xu Hanyan came to the straw stick, stretched out a finger and gently poked the candied haws.

"Of course!"

Zhou Chuxuan took down a candied haws and handed it to Xu Hanyan: "Try it! This is called candied haws, a delicacy I researched!"

Xu Hanyan took it, put it in his mouth and took a bite with half belief and half doubt. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and his handsome face contracted, but then relaxed again.

A sour and sweet taste spreads in the mouth, it is delicious.

"This is called Tanghulu? Did you really make it? Can you make delicious ones?"

Xu Hanyan's beautiful eyes sparkled with surprise. As the eldest daughter of the Xu family, she had eaten all kinds of snacks in the capital since she was a child.

I have never eaten anything so delicious!

Looking at Xu Hanyan's beautiful eyes, Zhou Chuxuan smiled gently and handed the candied haws stick to Xu Hanyan: "Of course! I have many skills!"

"gave it to you!"

"Ah? Aren't you going to take this thing to Liang Country?" Xu Hanyan was stunned.

"This thing can't be kept for too long. Just share it with the maids and guards of the East Palace! It won't taste good after two days!"

Zhou Chuxuan waved his hand and didn't care: "I'm just testing whether it can be done!"

"Old sheep!"

"His Royal Highness!"

"Go get some more tofu!" Zhou Chuxuan thought for a moment, then wrote down the ingredients for making stinky tofu on a piece of paper and handed it to Lao Yang. "Get all these things here, and clear out a kitchen for them. I need them!"

"Yes!"

......

"He just cooks some food at home every day and doesn't do anything unusual?" After getting the news, Yuan Shouwen paced back and forth in his yard.

Tomorrow is the day to summon the prince's old subordinates. He always feels a little uneasy in his heart, but he doesn't know where it comes from.

After much deliberation, Yuan Shouwen finally found Emperor Wu late at night and decided to take the initiative to test Zhou Chuxuan's strength.

"What brings you to the Imperial Study so late at night?"

Emperor Wu did not allow the old eunuch who had followed him for many years to stay by his side all the time.

"Your Majesty, I've been unable to sleep or eat today. I have some concerns that I want to share with Your Majesty! However, this matter involves the royal family, so I dare not speak carelessly!"

Yuan Shouwen lowered his head and said respectfully.

"You can speak freely! If you can share my worries, you are a loyal minister! No matter what your advice is, I will pardon you!"

"You have been by my side for many years, and your military and literary skills are no less than those of some ministers. Just tell me!"

Emperor Wu put down the brush in his hand, closed the memorial in front of him, looked at Yuan Shouwen with burning eyes, and a strange color flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Crown Prince has not been organizing troops or training officers these past two days. Instead, he has been enjoying himself by making delicious food in his own palace!"

"I still believe that the Northern Desert is a serious threat, and Your Highness should pay more attention to it! If you underestimate the enemy, I'm afraid something terrible will happen! Your Majesty should send a general to the East Palace to get some strategic advice!"

Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes slightly, crossed his hands and supported his chin. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "That makes sense. In your opinion, which general should be sent?"

Yuan Shouwen pondered for a moment, then said softly, "We believe that General Linghu Cong, who once commanded the northern frontier army, has considerable combat experience and should be able to offer some guidance!"

"Okay, then I'll take your advice. Go and convey General Linghu's order tomorrow!"

......

"General Linghu?"

Looking at Linghu Cong who was dressed in a capable outfit, Zhou Chuxuan was a little dazed, but he quickly reacted.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered this general to come and advise you on the expedition to the Northern Desert!"

"But if you have any questions, you can ask me. I will tell you everything I know!"

Looking at Linghu Cong's sincere face, Zhou Chuxuan sneered in his heart. If he hadn't known that he was a loyal follower of the prince, he might have been deceived by him!

This must be the trouble caused by the eunuch Yuan Shouwen, who wanted to use Linghu Cong to restrain and monitor him.

"General Linghu, you have worked hard. Please come to the guest room. I have some questions for you!"

You shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. Zhou Chuxuan certainly couldn't refuse him outright. He really needed to know some information about Beimo.

Otherwise, if you go into battle completely in the dark, you will suffer heavy losses even if you have modern tactics and muskets and crossbows.

"General, may I ask how the northern border defenses are, and how many elite cavalrymen are there who are capable of fighting?"

Half an hour later, Zhou Chuxuan's face twitched and he leaned back in his chair, wanting to curse in his heart. He never expected that the Wu Dynasty had become so corrupt.

In such a vast northern border with a thousand-mile defense line, there are only two or three thousand people?

There are less than five thousand elite cavalry!

Linghu asked calmly, "Your Highness, do you have any new ideas? Please share them with me!"