Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 667 Decoy
"It's nothing!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "It's just a trivial matter, not worth asking your Majesty!"

Li Hong asked several more times, but Wang Wenzuo always pushed the envelope, and Li Hong had no choice but to drink a few mouthfuls of buttermilk: "Since you don't want to say it, Sanlang, then that's it, but you still have to be careful about water transportation. After all, Henan and Hebei are both capitals." If there is a flood or drought, don’t waste the people’s resources too much!”

"How long have there been floods and droughts before?" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Your majesty, it is a good thing that you have a benevolent heart, but there must be a limit. To put it bluntly, even though you are the emperor, you can only do what you can. , adjust grain and provide relief, reduce and reduce taxes, no matter how much they are, they will be gone. If we continue to worry about this and ruin the imperial body, it will not help the people of the world, so why bother?"

"I also know that what Sanlang said is right! But I also hope that by doing my best, I can move God, so that the weather in the country will be smooth and the people will be healthy!"

After hearing what Li Hong said, Wang Wenzuo was speechless for a while.No matter how powerful the unified dynasties of ancient China looked, their economic foundation was based on irrigated agriculture.In ancient times, irrigation agriculture simply stated that “we rely on water and the sky to survive.” In fact, the role that manpower can play is very limited.Even if Yao and Shun were reincarnated and had wise kings and wise ministers, it would be in vain if they suffered from continuous floods and droughts.

In this social environment, the greatest source of the monarch's legitimacy in power is a suitable agricultural production environment - if the weather is good and the agricultural harvest is good, then you are a wise emperor and a sage, and you will receive God's blessing; if there is a flood or drought, the river will be cut off and diverted. If there is an earthquake or a plague of locusts, it means that the monarch is immoral and angers God, so he sends disasters to punish the monarch and the people.Then the monarch must be sincere and fearful, repent and reform, such as not eating meat, drinking alcohol, listening to music, or even committing suicide to show his fear.If you don't do this, you will probably be forced to abdicate or even be killed by the nobles and people.This practice developed into the Han Dynasty and even developed to the point where if the Taishi reported that the emperor had unfavorable horoscopes, the emperor would often ask the prime minister or other highly respected ministers to commit suicide as his own substitute to cope with the celestial phenomena.

This seemingly absurd approach actually has its inherent rationality: as the supreme ruler of the entire society and the only communicator with the gods, once the entire society is in danger of destruction, the emperor will be sacrificed to him as a sacrifice. It is a matter of course that the gods pay for the continued existence of society. After all, what can be a better indicator of the society's loyalty and repentance to the gods than the life and health of the emperor himself?
"Your Majesty!" A palace maid's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the Queen, wants to see you!"

"Your Majesty the Queen is here, that minister has resigned!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly stood up and resigned. Li Hong frowned and said with a smile: "That's alright, let's just stay here tonight!"

"I obey the decree!" Wang Wenzuo bowed to Li Hong and retreated outside.He left the door, and after walking for a few words, he saw Queen Pei walking over, surrounded by all the maids and eunuchs. He quickly stepped aside and bowed to the Queen: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen, Wenzuo!"

"It's General Wang!" The Queen's ring stopped shaking: "What's wrong? Are you staying so late in the palace again today? Are you discussing state affairs with the Holy One?"

"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo lowered his head: "There are a lot of things to do today, so I was delayed!"

"For state affairs, there are three provinces, namely Zhongshu, Shangshu, and Menxiasheng. There are six ministries, and there are ministers in the political hall. Although the general is extremely talented, he does not have to take on everything, otherwise it will not be good for him to be exhausted! General, do you think what I said is right?"

"Your Majesty the Queen taught you a lesson!" Wang Wenzuo said solemnly.

"I am a woman, how dare I teach the general a lesson!" The queen smiled: "But your Majesty is the Majesty of the world, not just one person. The general stays in Tai Chi Palace for hours every day. How can I know this like I do?" Those on the inside say that you are concerned about state affairs, but those on the outside don’t know what nasty things to say! The general should also know the truth that people’s opinions make gold, right?”

"I understand!" A layer of sweat the size of soybeans has oozed out on Wang Wenzuo's forehead. Between men and women, he has never been in contact with the queen. Unexpectedly, although Pei Judao's daughter is mediocre in appearance, she actually gave birth to a child. She is sharp-tongued and much more difficult to deal with than her father.

"As long as you understand!" The queen smiled and said: "General, get up! You are the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If you let me kneel for so long, the emperor will definitely blame me if he finds out!"

"Her Majesty the Queen is the master of the harem, and it is your duty for me to kneel down and worship you, no matter how long you kneel, it is your duty!" Wang Wenzuo said in a deep voice without getting up.

"The general is really good at talking!" The queen laughed: "No wonder your majesty, the emperor, and the queen all treat you as a loyal minister, and even I like you. Someone, give this to the general. !”

As soon as he finished speaking, a chamberlain took a jade Ruyi from the Queen's hand and handed it to Wang Wenzuo. Wang Wenzuo had no choice but to take it and said in a deep voice: "Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen, for the reward!"

"It's a small thing, what's there to thank you for!" The queen smiled and said, "Keep it well, don't lose it!" After that, she walked forward.

When the queen walked away, Wang Wenzuo stood up and stared at the retreating figure with a solemn look. There was something in the queen's words just now. Although he was not afraid, after all, not only was he the queen, but Pei Judao was also in the political hall. If you cooperate, it will not be easy to deal with it.It seems that my response strategy needs some adjustments.

Wang Wenzuo walked out of the Tai Chi Palace, his legs a little sore.The waiting guards came up to him, and he got on his horse. Wang Pu, who was on duty, smiled and said: "General, you are much later than yesterday. The emperor really cannot do without you!"

Wang Wenzuo frowned. Even these warriors knew how to use the time they spent with the emperor as a criterion to judge their favor. It seemed that what the queen just said was not entirely unreasonable. The guards laughed. How happy, those people grit their teeth behind their backs, this is not a good sign.

"It's nothing. There are a lot of things today, so it's late. It shouldn't be so late in two days!" Wang Wenzuo said nonchalantly: "How are you? Have you practiced martial arts, riding and archery? It shouldn't be neglected. Bar?"

"How could it be!" Wang Pu hurriedly laughed and said: "One exercise every day is unbeatable! If you don't believe it, you can find a time to review it!"

"That's for sure!" Wang Wenzuo said: "While I was inside, what happened outside?"

"General Cui sent someone here! Send this!" Wang Pu took out a letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"Why didn't you take it out earlier!" Wang Wenzuo opened the letter, and Wang Pu quickly brought the torch over. Wang Wenzuo looked at it by the light of the fire, but it was about recruiting scholars from Hebei. Cui Hongdu said that he had written to his hometown to ask the local government to Jesse, a handsome man from a distinguished family, entered Chang'an to prepare for the exams in the spring of next year. At the end of the letter, he asked Wang Wenzuo how to arrange this group of people.After Wang Wenzuo read the letter, he held it up to a torch and lit it. When there was only a little bit of paper left, he let go and let it float in the air.

Fan Yang, Lu Zhai.Compared with Chang'an, Fanyang has a completely different atmosphere. It is a dark and majestic place, with thick rammed earth city walls standing majestically on its own, and large forests of ancient trees stretching across the Yanshan Mountains in the north, exuding the smell of chilling and depression.For thousands of years, the cavalry of the Xiongnu, Wuheng, Xianbei, and Turks crossed the mountains through these narrow passes and rushed directly into the vast North China Plain.

Fanyang is the first barrier to that torrent. The people here have dual qualities that seem to be very contradictory: they are brave and simple, but also capricious.It is precisely because of this characteristic that they survived the waves of Hu Qi in the hundreds of years after the fall of the unified dynasty, and continued to grow and develop. To this day, those who were once prominent The dynasty has long since ceased to exist, but the surnames Cui, Lu, Zhao, Li and Gao have endured for a long time and have always had an unshakable position in the hearts of Hebei people.

"So, the imperial court is going to use us from Hebei?" asked the majestic old man at the head.

"Not bad!" Lu Zhaolin said excitedly: "General Cui has already written a letter. The imperial court will open a subject to recruit scholars in the spring of next year. We from Hebei will be transferred to the exam. As long as we pass the exam, we can enter the Hongwen Hall!"

Lu Zhaolin's words immediately aroused excited discussions in the hall, especially the younger people, who were even more excited and beaming with joy.

"Where's the letter?" the old man asked.

"Here!" Lu Zhaolin hurriedly presented it with both hands. The old man did not read the content first, but first read the signature: "Cui Hongdu? The son of the Cui family in Qinghe?"

"Yes, she is from Qingzhou Fang and has already taken charge of the Zuo Yulin Army! General Wang's wife is also the daughter of the Cui family in Qingzhou! They are all members of her own family!" Lu Zhaolin hurriedly explained.

"Well!" A rare smile appeared on the old man's face. He didn't read the letter and put it aside: "Zhao Lin! I remember that you stayed in Shuzhong for a while before going to Chang'an, and what? Wang Bo got mixed up, what happened to him afterwards?"

"I heard that he offended the emperor and was demoted to Jiaozhi!" Lu Zhaolin sighed: "It's a pity. It seems that we can only wait for the opportunity to plead with the general to see if we can get him back!"

"Well done!" The old man snorted coldly.

"Ah?" Lu Zhaolin didn't hear clearly what the old man said and asked subconsciously: "Uncle, what did you say?"

"I said it's good to be demoted. A frivolous kid like this should have rushed to the smoky land long ago. It would save him from always looking like he's not appreciating his talents and making irresponsible remarks." The old man sneered and said, "The Emperor of Kansai is not alone. I don’t want to say anything, but this matter was done quite according to my taste. You should also be more careful when taking care of your neighbors. If you follow the example of that Wang boy, you will harm yourself sooner or later!"

"Yes, yes!" Lu Zhaolin was already sweating after being scolded by the old man. This old man was the head of Changzhi, the main house of the Lu family in Fanyang. Although his official position was not high, the patriarchal clan system was very strong at that time, so how could he dare to argue with him.

"As for the matter that the Kansai court wants to capture people from Hebei! Let's hear what you think!" the old man asked the people below.

"My nephew thinks this is a good opportunity!" A middle-aged man stood up and said: "Zhaowen Hall is the place where talents are stored in the Tang Dynasty. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, people from Guanxi have been mostly used. No matter how talented we Hebei scholars are, , it’s hard to get into the examination, and even if you get into it, you’ll most likely end up as a subordinate, and you’ll have to spend half your life moving around, and you’ll never be more than an assistant official in the state capital. Don’t miss this great opportunity now!”

"Well, you mean to go?" The old man nodded and turned to the others: "What about you?"

"I also think it's a good opportunity!" Another person stood up: "In fact, in terms of talent and learning, the people from Guanxi are not as good as us Hebei scholars. It's just that Gao Wei, the empress of the Qi Dynasty, was debauched and immoral. He hired traitors and killed loyal people. , causing Hebei to be destroyed by the Westerners. So far, the power has moved westward, and the poison has spread to this day. It has been more than a hundred years, and it is time for the fortunes to change!"

"Yes, my nephew also thinks it is a rare opportunity. Otherwise, if I am full of talent, I will be wasting it in the fields!"

Everyone in the hall became more and more happy as they talked about it. Almost everyone thought that this was a good opportunity to show off their talents and knowledge, and to shine on their family name, changing the miserable state of the Hebei gentry since Zhou Dynasty destroyed Qi Dynasty.But the old man at the head had a cold expression and remained silent, with disappointment in his eyes.

"You can go if you want. I won't go anyway. It just so happens that you are all going to Chang'an to seek wealth, so I will look after your homes in Fanyang! If you are beheaded, someone will bury you in your place, so there is no need to make a burial place. The wild ghost!"

While everyone was talking enthusiastically, they heard someone pouring cold water on their head, and they suddenly became a little annoyed. Someone said angrily: "Lu Twelve, what are you doing? It's obviously a good thing, but you still say it's so unlucky." If so, are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for everyone?"

"Who can't get along with you!" Lu Twelve was a 25-year-old man. Even though it was winter, he was still wearing a single shirt. He had a thick frame, thick eyebrows and a thick nose. He leaned on the seat and sneered: "I just saw you being raped. The wealth in front of you makes your eyes blurry. I am just reminding you, but you don’t know the good people’s hearts!”

"Which one is for wealth!" Someone sneered: "We also do it for the glory of our family. Have you forgotten the reputation of the Fan Yanglu family and me? Now that we are like this, how can we have the face to meet our ancestors? Is it just like you? If Lu Twelve is like this, hiding in the countryside every day, the reputation of the Lu family will be ruined by you sooner or later!"

"The Emperor of Kansai throws out some leftovers, and you rush over to grab them, so that your family can be honored?" The man sneered, "Be careful that there are fish hooks in the leftovers. If you eat them and don't spit them out, it will be too late!"

"Okay!" The old man shouted to stop the quarrel among the juniors. He glanced at everyone with a real gaze, and the hall suddenly became quiet: "Everyone, please step aside. We will discuss this matter tomorrow! Zhao Lin, Twelve Lang, you two Stay here!"

　There's a lot going on today, so the update is finished, please forgive me. !
　　
　
(End of this chapter)