A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1245 Waiting for the Tree to Bloom
Xu Jingzong came to visit.

Standing at the gate of the Wu family, looking at the more than two meters high Wutou Gate, and then looking at the three-character plaque with the words "Taiwei Mansion" he was a little dazed.

"Mr. Xu, Alang wants to see you."

Xu Jingzong smiled and nodded to the hunchbacked doorman, then followed him into the mansion with his wife, Ms. Pei.

Today, the couple came to the Wu family to discuss their daughter's wedding with Wu Sanlang Chengzhi.

Wu Huaiyu entertained Xu Jingzong at the Panda Park.

There is a glazed pavilion in the panda park, which is actually a glass-covered sunroom. It is very comfortable to bask in the sun and drink tea in it in winter. There are many green plants, flowers and vegetables grown in it.

Even in the middle of winter, it is still full of vitality.

"What kind of tea would you like?" Huaiyu asked with a smile.

Xu Jingzong sat down and looked around the bright glazed room. The sun was shining brightly today and it was very warm inside, but without any smell of worldly things. Especially since he could see the cute little teddy bear playing outside.

He took off his cloak and said, "Black tea will be fine."

Sitting down, seeing that Wu Huaiyu looked good with a smile on his face, he couldn't help but ask, "How can Erlang still smile?"

"Look how bright the sun is." Wu Huaiyu took out the tea leaves. "Do you want black tea from Guangzhou in Lingnan, or black tea from Jianzhou in Wuyi Mountain?"

"Let's drink Luzon black tea. Sanlang has given me a lot of Luzon black tea in the past few years. I'm used to it."

This sun room has recently become a place for Huaiyu to drink tea and bask in the sun. There is not only a large coffee table, but also various kinds of tea. He took out a box of Luzon volcanic black tea.
The soil in the tea garden at the foot of the volcano is fertile and rich in minerals. The tea grown here has a unique taste and aroma.

"If you have a chance, Mr. Xu can go to Luzon. It's a great place. Take this tea for example. It comes from the Mayon Volcano in the southeast of Luzon Island. The volcano is a perfect cone, 260 miles in radius and 720 feet high. The soil under the mountain is very fertile and the bay is beautiful.
The tea leaves grown there are processed into black tea, which is small and compact in shape, red and yellow in color, with clear and bright red tea soup, rich flavor, long-lasting sweetness, and a fresh taste. Drinking it regularly can also improve health and prolong life. "

Wu Huaiyu put black tea into the teapot, then added hot water, and the tea came out in seconds.

He handed the tea box to Xu Jingzong. The tea box was made of Luzon ebony and was very exquisite. There was also a beautiful conical volcano carved on the tea box. It was the Mayon volcano.

Xu Jingzong's heart was not in this.

Today, he brought his wife to the Wu family under the pretext of discussing his children's marriage, but in fact, he had serious business to discuss.

"They said Erlang was assassinated in Luoyang. It was planned by Goguryeo Da Duilu and Xueyantuo was involved. Do you believe it, Erlang?"

Wu Huaiyu divided the tea into portions, one cup for each person. He picked up his own cup and sipped it slowly, feeling very refreshed. "This is the result given by the court."

"Erlang, have you ever thought about who is trying to assassinate you?"

"You know?" Huaiyu asked back.

Xu Jingzong certainly couldn't know, but he could guess, "I've read the investigation report submitted by Xu Luoren. It's full of loopholes. The so-called Goguryeo Quan Gaisuwen plotted and Xueyantuo Yi Nan participated, it's just a lie."

He is now the Inspector of the Dali Temple, and the Dali Temple has naturally been involved in the assassination of Wu Huaiyu. Xu Jingzong lowered his voice and expressed his concern for Wu Huaiyu, believing that the person behind Wu Huaiyu's assassination was the emperor.

The emperor was forced to stop because of the strong public opinion after he failed in Luoyang. Now, under pressure from public opinion, he threw out the story that Goguryeo's Da Duilu and Xueyantuo Khan were the real culprits behind the scenes. This was just to cover up the truth. After all, no one had the ability to capture Goguryeo's most powerful prime minister and the king of Mobei for interrogation.

By putting the blame on the two countries, the emperor can also provide some public opinion guidance for this year's Northern Expedition against the Xueyantuo.

one stone two bird.

"Erlang, you are our banner. If you fall, countless of us will fall with you."

Xu Jingzong sighed.
He was once one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Palace. He had a lot of experience, but he was not very successful in the early Zhenguan period. Later, he relied on Wu Huaiyu to be promoted.

The label of Wu Huaiyu has long been stamped on him, and it cannot be washed away.

One glory and one glory.

From being the Imperial Court Assistant Minister, the Acting Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Rites, and now the Acting Minister of the Supreme Court, Xu Jingzong is now in a hurry.
Now he has even been dismissed from his concurrent position as the son of the Eastern Palace, and is left with only the title of concurrent editor of national history. He has even lost his title of scholar of the Chongxian Hall.

"Drink tea."

Huaiyu changed into a comfortable position. He placed a set of Ming-style round chairs here. Compared with couches, Hu beds and cross-legged chairs, Wu Huaiyu quite liked the round and graceful shape of the Ming-style round chairs and their plump and strong body. The round chair was like the "Slender Gold" style in calligraphy.

"Don't panic, don't rush,"

He smiled and said to Xu Jingzong, "Actually, you shouldn't have come today. I know the current situation. The more it is, the more we need to be low-key and cautious. Over the years, some people have been attacking me, Wu Huaiyu, for forming a clique. At first, they said it was the Prince's clique, and later they said it was the Wu clique."

Forming a faction has always been the emperor's biggest taboo.

Especially when the party has great influence.

Wu Huaiyu did not dare to say that it was the emperor who assassinated him, but the emperor did take action against the Wu party. This time, not only was he demoted, but many of his people were demoted or transferred to other positions.

The most obvious thing was the adjustment of officials in the Eastern Palace, where almost all the people from Wu Huaiyu's faction were transferred out.

"Mr. Xu, what do you think of my armchair?" Wu Huaiyu suddenly asked, pointing at the chairs the two were sitting on.

"The circle back of this chair in Erlang's house is connected to the armrests, which go down smoothly from high to low. When sitting, the arms can lean on the circle armrests, and the legs and feet can hang down naturally and comfortably. I like it very much. The shape is also beautiful, and it has a sense of simplicity." Xu Jingzong said.

The back of this armchair is curved according to the curve of the human spine, which is very ergonomic.

Simple and smooth lines, round top and square bottom, all made of golden nanmu, which is the royal wood and ordinary people are not qualified to use. The Wu family also made a batch of furniture with the golden nanmu left over from the construction of the Daming Palace awarded by the emperor. "The great way is simple, the great wisdom is foolish, and the highest good is like water."

Wu Huaiyu reminded Xu Jingzong that in the current situation, what they had to do was to be like water, go with the flow and never go against it.

If the emperor wants to suppress the Wu Party, then just bear with it.

In the feudal imperial era, as a minister, you couldn't openly resist the imperial power, especially against a powerful ruler like Li Shimin.

Xu Jingzong was silent.

He was unwilling to give up. He was almost able to enter the Council of Government several times, but now he was getting further and further away.

"Mr. Xu is forty-nine this year, right?"

"You will know your destiny soon," said Xu Jingzong.

Fifty years old is actually still very young in officialdom, especially in the imperial court.

Xu Jingzong had followed Wu Huaiyu for many years and his career was pretty good. Even if he was promoted to the position of Inspector of the Dali Temple, he was still a third-rank official. Moreover, his rank had not been reduced and he was still a third-rank Jinzi Guanglu Doctor.

He also held the title of Marquis of Gaoyang County.

Historically, Xu Jingzong's official career was not smooth. By the 16th year of Zhenguan, he was only a fifth-rank official who was also responsible for compiling national history, and he did not even have a baronship.

The volcanic black tea produced in Luzon is really good.

After drinking a pot of tea, Xu Jingzong understood Wu Huaiyu's thoughts and was not so anxious. Over the years, he had formed a strong confidence in Wu Huaiyu.
As Wu Huaiyu said, it is an indisputable fact that the emperor suppressed the Wu Party this time, but the emperor was only suppressing it for the time being, not a real purge.

In the face of such suppression, just be patient.

It was always with the wind before, but it is normal to have a headwind now.

But one thing is that, although their Wu Party is united around Wu Huaiyu, they are the most important support force for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. As long as the Crown Prince does not fall, the Wu Party will not fall either.

Even if they really fall now, the prince will succeed to the throne in the future and they will still be able to make a comeback.

The emperor is nearly fifty years old and his health is not good. The prince has been the crown prince for seventeen years. Who can shake his position?

"When will Sanlang return to Beijing?"

Xu Jingzong asked.

What Lao Xu was most proud of in his life was not his literary talent, but his vision. In his early years, he followed Li Mi, but later joined the Qin Palace, and later chose the up-and-coming Wu Huaiyu as his partner.

He also became relatives of the Wu family, the Feng family of Lingnan, and the generals Qian Jiulong and Yuchi Gong in the court. Although many people thought that his Gaoyang Xu family was a famous aristocratic family, he married some nouveau riche and even barbarians, which brought shame to the aristocratic family. Some people also said that he was greedy for money.

Although Xu Jingzong loved money, he would not choose his relatives just based on money.

"Let's go to Beijing before the Dragon Boat Festival," Wu Huaiyu said. The third brother Chengzhi was determined to stay in Luzon. With his arrangement, everything went smoothly. Luzon was entering a period of rapid expansion and development. It was either reclaiming wasteland and cultivating land, mining, conquering the natives, or sailing and trading.
Sugar, spices, and gold are the three boosters of Luzon's rapid development.

Although Chengzhi is young, he is the official governor of Luzon and the Marquis of Luzon. He is the son of Wu Huaiyu, so it is still necessary for him to be in charge of Luzon.

The marriage of Chengzhi and Xu Jingzong's daughter has also been arranged and will take place in August.

"Let's have less contact in the future." Wu Huaiyu saw the guest off.

Xu Jingzong was given a set of Luzon ebony armchairs and tables, and a box of Luzon volcanic black tea.

Xu Jingzong understood that they had to be honest and low-key during this period, and they, the military party, really had to interact less with each other, otherwise they would give people a reason to criticize them.

After seeing Lao Xu off, Huaiyu went back to the sunroom to bask in the sun.

Although it was the first month of the lunar year, Wu Huaiyu did not go anywhere to pay New Year's greetings.

He also closed the door and refused to receive guests.

Xu Jingzong's visit today was an exception, as he came to discuss his children's wedding.

Fan Xuanfu came in and Huaiyu poured him tea.

"After all the investigation, this is the result? Goguryeo and Xueyantuo are really ridiculous."

She didn't believe the survey results at all.
Of course Wu Huaiyu didn't believe it either.

In fact, he had already found out some things, but he didn't tell his wife.

The two chatted for a while, and Xuanfu went back to accompany the child.

Wu Huaiyu looked at the chubby panda outside through the glass, but a few names came to his mind.

Xue Wanche, Hou Junji, Helan Chushi...

Who would have thought that it would be them.

(End of this chapter)