Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 849 Concession
"Those eminent monks said it right. The words and deeds of political leaders are related to billions of people, so they should indeed do more good deeds!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.

"It's good that the general thinks so!" The queen was overjoyed when she heard this: "To do evil is to do good. You must have heard about what Liu Peiji did in Henan, right? How do you think he should be punished?"

"To eliminate evil is to do good! Her Majesty the Queen said it well!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "But I don't know what evil deeds Liu Peiji did in Henan. Why does the Queen want to punish him?"

"What evil deed?" The queen raised her eyebrows with an angry look on her face: "Do you still want me to say this? General, are you pretending to be confused? Liu Peiji killed monks in Henan and destroyed the Three Treasures. Such evil deeds should not be resented by heaven and earth. punish?"

Faced with the Queen's angry rebuke, Wang Wenzuo's expression remained as usual: "Your Majesty, you cannot trust a single word. You should know why the three of us sent Liu Peiji to patrol Henan, right?"

"Of course I know that there is a locust drought in Henan, and Liu Peiji went there to help the victims, but what does this have to do with the Buddhist temple?" the queen asked.

"Your Majesty, you are only half right. Liu Peiji is on a tour of Henan. In addition to relieving the victims, he also has another mission, which is to fight against disasters. We can find ways to resist locust plagues and droughts and reduce losses. As for fighting with What does it have to do with the Buddhist temple? Your Majesty, Liu Peiji has written it very clearly in the letter to me. I just happened to have it with me today. You can take a look at it first!" At this point, Wang Wenzuo took out a document from his sleeve. , handed it over with both hands. The queen snorted coldly, took the document and read it. The expression on her face changed, and she finally threw the document aside: "To kill monks and destroy Buddhist temples just for this matter, isn't Liu Peiji making a fuss out of a molehill?"

"Your Majesty the Queen, this is not 'this matter'!" Wang Wenzuo said: "How can there be people without farmers? How can there be a country without people? Henan is in the middle of the world. If Henan fails to achieve anything in a year, the refugees will have nothing to eat. At that time, Jiuzhou was in turmoil. Even if Chang'an was guarded by hundreds of Qin Passes, how could you, the queen, rest in peace?"

"General Wang, it's not like this, right?" Faced with Wang Wenzuo's questioning, the queen's tone became softer: "Even if the monks in the Buddhist temple say that locusts are 'divine insects', they are not going to kill people. Destroy the temple?”

"Your Majesty the Queen, given the current disaster situation in Henan, it is not enough for the people to put out all their efforts. However, the people are afraid of the gods and are bewitched by monsters and monks. They dare not cull the locusts in the face. Even if the government issues an announcement, I am afraid not many people will dare to take action. Once the farming season is over, the consequences will It’s unimaginable. If we don’t use thunderous means to shock people and distinguish right from wrong, I’m afraid it won’t be enough to reverse the situation!”

The queen fell into silence. She used the silver table knife in her hand to poke the preserved fruit on the plate hard, and it was riddled with holes. Everyone could see that she was upset at this time. However, Wang Wenzuo remained silent and allowed her to think wildly.

"General, what you said makes sense, but Liu Peiji must still be punished!" the queen said.

"Oh?" Wang Wenzuo pretended to be surprised.

"When my mother entered the palace a few days ago, several eminent monks from the monasteries in Chang'an said that the Buddha was furious when the Three Treasures were in trouble. If I want the mother and child to be safe and give birth to a prince for the emperor, I must punish Liu Peiji, otherwise I will not be satisfied. The emperor is like this now. General, don’t you want him to have a legitimate son to inherit the throne?”

Faced with the Queen's words that were half coercion and half request, Wang Wenzuo's mind was spinning rapidly, weighing the pros and cons. Of course he didn't believe the nonsense those monks said. Whether the queen could give birth to a son normally had nothing to do with punishing Liu Peiji or not. But the problem is that the queen gave birth to three daughters in a row, and the child in her belly was the last child she and Li Hong might have. If she could not give birth to a healthy boy, she would have no choice but to send Xu Cairen's son to the throne. In this situation, the queen will cling to any life-saving straw. If she wants to protect Liu Peiji, the queen will definitely hate her.

"Since the queen insists, I can only agree!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "But I also have a condition: after all, everything Liu Peiji did in Henan was for the country. He can be dismissed from office, but he cannot be exiled. I and my family You can’t be harmed, otherwise who will be willing to do their best for the court in the future?”

"That's okay!" The Queen breathed a sigh of relief: "Actually, I don't want this, but the baby in my belly is really important, so I have to wrong Liu Qing. Then it's settled, let him recuperate at home first. A few years later, I will be reinstated after the limelight has passed!"

"Queen, don't worry, I will take care of Liu Peiji's side!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "You can rest assured and take care of yourself in the palace. I also hope that you can give birth to a healthy boy for Your Majesty!"

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After returning home, Wang Wenzuo immediately summoned Murong Mu. The first words he said when they met were: "Take this letter and immediately set off to Henan to meet Liu Peiji and hand the letter to him! Then protect him and ensure his safety!"

"Yes!" Murong Mu took the letter and asked carefully: "General, is he going to be in trouble?"

Wang Wenzuo was not surprised at all by the foresight of his subordinates. What Liu Peiji did in Henan had long been known to all the monks in Chang'an Temple. Murong Miao was originally responsible for collecting intelligence. If he couldn't even guess this , then Wang Wenzuo will have to consider replacing him.

"The queen is worried about the child in her belly. I have promised the queen to remove him from his official position! But the queen also promised me that he will only be removed from official position, not exiled, and his family will not be affected!" Wang Wenzuo said: "But he offended him in Henan There are so many people, I’m afraid something will happen to him on his way back, so I asked you to protect him!”

"General, please rest assured, my subordinates will set off immediately with two hundred cavalry!" Murong Miao said.

"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "You send him a message for me: He has been wronged in this matter. Wang owes him a favor. Please bear with him for a few years, and Wang will be compensated!"

"My subordinates will remember it!"

After arranging Murong Moo, Wang Wenzuo let out a long breath. He asked Liu Peiji to go to Henan to deal with the locust drought disaster, but he did not expect that a lot of things would happen. Although he supported Liu Peiji in his heart, he had to make certain concessions in the face of opposition from almost the entire Chang'an political circle. Anyway, after being dismissed from his official position, he might be able to draw Liu Peiji to his side. His large colonies need to be developed and trade and commerce needs to run, and what he lacks are officials who understand the economy. Talents like Liu Peiji with rich administrative experience are really highly sought after. "Then the problem now is how to deal with the locust drought in Henan!" Wang Wenzuo frowned: "Forget it, anyway, Zhang Wenguan knows better than me about the talents in the court, so let him worry about it! I still feel at ease Wait until the queen gives birth to the child before making a decision!"

Bianzhou, Governor's Office, Pianyuan.

This is a room used for office and overnight stays. The middle is divided by partitions as usual. The outer room is equipped with office desks, chairs and bookshelves, while the inner room is used to place couches and daily utensils. Perhaps because of the locust drought, the furnishings in the house are quite simple. All the furnishings are only necessary, and there are no basic decorations. This is not to say that Liu Peiji is a saint, but that he is very aware of the situation he is in now, and if possible, he does not want to leave any words for his attackers.

At this time, Liu Peiji sat down in front of the office desk and took a cup of hot tea from the servant while flipping through some official matters that had just been handled last night. After a while, he heard noises outside the temple, rapid footsteps, and brief conversations. He guessed that they might be local officials from Bianzhou, but he didn't want to pay attention to these people. Since he severely cracked down on the local temple, The relationship between Liu Peiji and the local officials broke down. He knew that these people often wrote letters to Chang'an to attack him. In this case, the two parties were not in the same circle, so naturally there was nothing to talk about; it was just Liu Peiji's current status. , and also feel that there is no need to take the initiative to be polite to the other party.

"Mr. Lang, someone has arrived from Chang'an. It's General Murong!" The servant came in and announced.

"Murong Miao? Why is he here?" Liu Peiji was surprised. Murong Miao must have come on behalf of Wang Wenzuo. Could something have happened in Chang'an? He hesitated and said, "Invite him in!"

The door curtain was lifted, revealing a bright hole. Then, Murong Miao's dignified face with Chinese characters appeared, with a serious look on his face, followed closely by a fully armed guard. Liu Peiji was a little flustered when he saw this, but he still managed to calm down and cupped his hands: "Brother Murong, long time no see!"

"Yeah!" Murong Miao responded and looked at the slave who led him in. Liu Peiji coughed knowingly. The slave quickly stepped back. Murong Miao's accompanying guards also exited and stood guard at the door. , only Liu Peiji and Murong Miao were left in the house.

"Brother Liu! This is a letter written by General Wang. It's for you!" Murong Moo took a step forward and said in a low voice. He took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Peiji. He took two steps back and stood at the door. , obviously this was for Murong Mu to read the letter himself. Liu Peiji took the letter and carefully opened it and read it carefully. After a few minutes, his face turned pale. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He folded the letter and put it back into his sleeve: "The kindness of the general, Liu has no I’ll never forget it! Please thank General Liu after Brother Murong returns to Chang’an!”

"What a coincidence!" Murong Miao smiled and said, "The general asked me to tell you before he left: You have been wronged in this matter. He owes you a favor. Please be patient for a few years and he will make compensation! Why? You want me to thank him?"

"Hey, the general is really a kind man!" Liu Peiji sighed: "Did you know? In a few days, the court will send someone to remove me from office!"

"Well! The rumors in Chang'an are very bad for you!" Murong Miao said with a smile: "The monks in those big monasteries are saying bad things about you every day, and all the women in Chang'an are scolding you. Such a pillow style Who can bear it?"

"I originally thought it might be troublesome, but I didn't expect it to get to this point!" Liu Peiji smiled bitterly: "Do you know? Those monks in Chang'an were angry when the queen's mother told her about what I did in Henan. Bodhisattva, the queen will definitely not be able to give birth to a boy!”

"Ah?" Murong Miao was also surprised: "These bald donkeys are so vicious. The Queen is most concerned about whether she has a boy or a girl in her belly. This is a handicap for her. What's the matter? The Queen wants to remove you from the official position. ?”

"Yeah!" Liu Peiji nodded: "It should be more than that. If the general hadn't stopped him with words, he would probably be exiled or even beheaded!"

"It's possible!" Murong Miao nodded: "Don't look at these bald donkeys who talk about compassion every day, but when they actually use their hands, they are more poisonous than anyone else!"

"Well, thanks to the general, I was able to save my life!" Liu Peiji sighed: "It's just a hardship for the people of Henan. Once I leave, the locust extermination will definitely be abandoned halfway. This year's summer and autumn crops will be in danger!"

"Don't worry too much! The imperial court will not sit back and watch, and will definitely send a capable official to replace you!" Murong Miao said with a smile: "I brought two hundred cavalry here this time just to escort you, so that no one will attack you on the road. Let’s start. When do you plan to return to Chang’an?”

"Let's wait for the court's decree!" Liu Peiji sighed: "Anyway, I came to Henan this time to take up my post alone. It's convenient for me to stay or leave!"

"That's the best!" Murong Miao said with a smile. He turned around and looked outside the door. He leaned closer to Liu Peiji and lowered his voice: "Let me tell you the truth first. If you are dismissed from office this time and reinstated, don't say anything. I’ll give you two or three years, are you interested in working for the general?”

"Isn't this inconvenient?" Liu Peiji said with a bitter smile: "My reputation now is that I am already a useless person. If I go to the general, I will only cause trouble. What can I do?"

"Brother Liu, the general knows your talent!" Murong Wu said with a smile, "As for your reputation, the general's territory is very vast. Except for Hebei, no one in those places knows who you are. Moreover, the general's overseas territories are rich in all kinds of precious goods and all kinds of trade are prosperous. You can give full play to your strengths when you go there! A real man is born into this world and should make achievements and establish a career. This incident is not your fault. Why waste your years and grow old in the family?"

After hearing Murong Mu's persuasion, Liu Peiji's heart moved slightly, but he still held it back and said with a smile: "It's still early to talk about this matter, let's think about it in the long term!"

When Murong Mu saw that Liu Peiji did not refuse outright, he was secretly happy: "Okay, let's consider the long term first!"

A few days later, as expected, an envoy came from Chang'an and announced the decree to remove Liu Peiji from his official position. Liu Peiji dutifully handed over the seal official robe and followed Murong Mu back to Chang'an. As soon as I got home and entered the door, I saw my wife rushing towards me: "Husband, did you take the wrong medicine? You did something wrong and destroyed the Three Treasures. You offended the Bodhisattva. This is a good thing. If you lose your official position, you may not be able to save your life." !”