A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 894 Meeting an old friend in a foreign land

"congratulations,"

In the Penglai Pavilion of Dengzhou, Xue Dading congratulated Wu Huaiyu.

The Crown Prince and Grand Master of Jin Dynasty gave him 500 pieces of silk. This reward was sent together with the 500 pieces of silk given by Qin Qiong.

Huaiyu chuckled, it was nothing.

In comparison, he was surprised that Changsun Wuji failed to win the title of the Third Company, and that Li Jing insisted on resigning. Of course, Zhang Liang's resignation was a bit surprising.

The person who succeeded Zhang Liang as imperial censor and participated in political affairs was even more surprising. It was Li Daliang.

This capable official who once served as the governor of Yuezhou, the governor of Jiaozhou, and the governor of Liangzhou, was previously appointed as the provincial ambassador to Jiannan Province. It is said that many problems were discovered during the inspection of Jiannan Province, and many corrupt officials were investigated.

Now he suddenly becomes prime minister, which almost everyone did not expect.

Zhang Liang went out to serve as the governor of Xiangzhou.

"I heard that Duke Wei is resigning. I wonder who his replacement will be?" Xue Dading was also very curious. He was the former chief of the Qi Palace and is now the judge of Qin Qiong's Henan pacification envoy. He belongs to the secretariat.

Regarding this, Wu Huaiyu already knew some inside information. It was said that the emperor intended to promote Zhongshu Ling Wen Yanbo to Youpuse to replace Li Jing.

There are now several popular candidates for the vacant position of Zhongshu Ling, such as Tejin Xiao Yu, Wang Gui, Li Daozong, Dou Jing, Chen Shuda, and Ma Zhou.

However, among these candidates, the more likely ones are actually Xiao Yu, Li Daozong and Ma Zhou. The reason why I say this is because although Wang Gui once paid homage to the prime minister, he was demoted and later recalled to be promoted to Huangmen Shilang. But he was demoted again not long ago.

Chen Shuda was the military prime minister and had already withdrawn from the center for several years. There was no way he would have another chance.

Dou Jing and Li Daozong, one was a relative and the other was a member of the clan. They both had abilities, but their qualifications were insufficient. The most important thing was that their status as relatives and clan members was now a negative factor for the emperor.

Ma Zhou has always been Li Shimin's first secret and a close confidant. He has been in Zhongshu Province for a long time and has performed very well as Zhongshu's assistant minister. It is very likely that he will be promoted to the next level.

The most important thing is that Wu Huaiyu knew very well that Li Shimin trusted and admired Ma Zhou very much. Ma Zhou was born in a poor family, but he later married Wu Huaiyu's sister for a second marriage, but Ma Zhou's daughter also chose to be Zhaoxun of the East Palace, and Ma Zhou was also the crown prince's right concubine.

The emperor worshiped Ma Zhou as his prime minister, which seemed a bit special, but the emperor sometimes employed people like this. The more senior and meritorious the emperor was, the emperor liked to put them on a high pedestal, giving names and titles but not authority.

On the contrary, the emperor likes to promote those who have outstanding abilities but are younger or have lower qualifications, or even worship the prime minister directly. Such young prime ministers are more obedient to the emperor's words.

High efficiency.

Changsun Wuji, who ranked first in terms of merit, retired early to take up his position as a sinecure, and Qin Qiong and Li Jing also knew it very well. As for the prime ministers of the Wude Dynasty, they were dismissed early by the emperor.

From the bottom of his heart, Wu Huaiyu actually prefers Ma Zhou to be the Minister of the Secretariat of the Middle School for a few more years. Then it will be a matter of course for him to be promoted to the Secretariat of the Middle School. The promotion now is a bit too much. He is easy to be attacked and the pressure is also on Ma Zhou. Big, he has diabetes in his body. If he wants to be the prime minister, he will have to devote himself to the emperor and die.

The most ideal thing is actually for the current warrior Xun to serve as prime minister in the court for a few more years. When he retires, Ma Zhou can take over.

In this way, the Wu family can ensure that there are always members of their own family in the political hall, which is safer.

But judging from the news he got this time, it was inevitable to be promoted to the rank of secretary of the middle school after the anniversary of the horse, but it might be a transitional title such as the title of school inspector first, or the title of Zhizhongshu to save trouble.

······

night,

Tomorrow Wu Huaiyu will go south to Guangzhou.

Asang had no intention of sleeping, and felt melancholy in all kinds of ways.

My father is writing a letter to send home to Puzhou. He doesn't know if his relatives in his hometown are still there. Are his wife and children, who have been separated for 22 years, still there?

Is that home still there?

I stopped writing while holding the pen, and couldn't help but shed tears. The tears fell on the letter paper, staining the handwriting.

In Puzhou, beside the Yellow River, there are many mulberry trees and the world-famous mulberry wine.

Lao Dong remembered that his wife was a good wine maker. The spring water in their hometown was very sweet, and the sangluo wine they brewed was also particularly good.

He couldn't help but think of his wife and children again, but the memory of her had long been blurred. Would he still be able to recognize her when they met again?

He is no longer as young as he used to be. Now he has a hunched back and his beard and hair are all white.

Asang suddenly stood up and walked out.

"Asang, where are you going?" Old Dong asked.

"I feel a little bored. Let's go out for a walk."

"The Prime Minister is staying at Penglai Pavilion tonight, but there are many guards, so you won't be able to see him." Old Dong knew his daughter's thoughts and couldn't help but remind him.

Asang blushed and whispered, "I'm just going out for a walk."

"Remember to come back early."

Asang walked in the cold wind and under the moonlight,

As soon as the wind blew, her restless heart seemed to calm down a little. She couldn't help but laugh at herself, "What am I doing?"

Mr. Wu is such a noble person, but he is just an ordinary woman born of a Sui soldier prisoner and a Goguryeo wandering girl.

But his footsteps were disobedient as he walked toward Penglai Pavilion.

Just say goodbye and wish him well.

After all, this kindness is greater than the sky.

In the pirate cabin, she saw the girls who had also been kidnapped, many of whom had already suffered humiliation. She was lucky, and was temporarily kidnapped in Qingnipu. The pirates rushed to Dengzhou, and also He didn't have time to insult her and let her escape.

It shudders to think of almost doing that.

In front of Penglai Pavilion, there are soldiers guarding you and you are not allowed to get close.

There are guests in the pavilion tonight.

Qin Qiong and Wu Huaiyu are entertaining guests from Chang'an here.

The three envoys from Dushui, Chang Sunshi, Chen Dade, a doctor in the Ministry of War, and Zhu Zishe, a minister of Sanqi, came from Chang'an and were envoys sent by the prince of the country.

They will be sent as envoys to Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and Japan. On their return, they will also visit the Mohe and Shiwei tribes to express their condolences.

Their responsibilities during this trip were mainly based on the suggestions Huaiyu had made in his previous letter to the emperor. They were to collect the bones of the soldiers who died in the Sui Dynasty, hold memorials for them, destroy the temples with the corpses of the Sui soldiers, and demand the redemption of the soldiers who had survived the Sui Dynasty. .

This time we will also talk to them about increasing trade and mutual exchange, as well as redeeming the soldiers and their families who stayed in the Sui Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty sent a mission to reiterate the sect-vassal relationship to Goguryeo, emphasizing that Goguryeo was a vassal state that had long surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, so it was not a superficial surrender, but a true obedience to the Tang Dynasty's edicts.

Tribute trade is only part of it;

The dismantling of the capital to collect the bones this time was a test of Goguryeo's surrender. It depended on their loyalty. If they dared to resist, the Tang Dynasty would not be polite.

So this time the envoys went to Goguryeo, not to secretly dismantle the capital and collect the bones, but to ask the Goguryeo officials to cooperate with the action. The court even asked to find and register the remaining Sui army officers and their families, and the Tang Dynasty had to pay for their redemption. them,

The envoys' trip was not only to Goguryeo, but also to Baekje, Silla, Japan, and even Mohe and Shiwei. This was already an obvious attitude. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the two countries have been at peace with each other for sixteen years, but whether they can still live in peace with each other in the future depends on whether Goguryeo truly submits to the Tang Dynasty and its performance.

"The mission of this trip is very heavy. It is more about the face of the Tang Dynasty, and it is also about the countless soldiers and their wives, sons and daughters who are still in Goguryeo. Please make sure you show off the prestige of our country!"

Huaiyu raised his glass and toasted,

The three of them quickly responded.

Among the three, Zhu Zishe was the oldest. He had been to Haidong as an envoy in both Wude and Zhenguan early years, representing the Tang Dynasty to canonize the King of Goguryeo and promulgate imperial edicts.

Master Changsun is a member of Changsun Wuji's family, the chief officer of Du Shuiyuan, fourth grade. He is the chief envoy for this trip. Chen Dade is a professional doctor, a native of Sangquan, Puzhou. He is a very capable official. Now he is in The Ministry of War's official position is also responsible for mastering the world's maps. He accompanied the envoy, mainly to collect information on the situation in Goguryeo.

Even find a way to establish a spy system there.

Huaiyu was surprised to hear that he was from Sangquan County.

"The hometown of a veteran I rescued earlier is Sangquan County,"

"Oh, I didn't expect to meet a fellow countryman," Chen Dade also sighed with emotion.

Huaiyu then smiled and said, "I will send someone to invite him to come and meet you, a fellow villager. It just so happens that he also wants to know about the situation in his hometown."

Immediately call someone to invite old Dong to come, "Shitou, go to the resettlement site quickly and invite Dong Teng to come,"

Shi Shouxin was ordered to come out of the cabinet. He had just walked not far when he saw a girl standing there under the moonlight. When he got closer, he recognized her. Isn't this the same Asang who had followed Wu Xiangqian before?

"Why are you here, Miss Asang?"

"Ah, I just can't sleep and just walk around." Asang blushed, but she didn't dare to say that she was looking for Wu Huaiyu. In fact, when she saw the guard from a distance, she didn't dare to step forward.

"By the way, Prime Minister Wu was entertaining guests from Chang'an in the pavilion. There was a doctor named Chen. His hometown is Sangquan County, Puzhou. When Prime Minister Wu heard about it, he asked me to invite you, Aye, to meet him. Here’s my fellow countryman.”

Asang was also surprised when he heard this and said quickly, "Then I'll go and tell Aye,"

"go together."

Dong Teng hasn't finished writing a letter yet. After writing a few lines, he couldn't help feeling sour and crying. When he felt better, he wrote a few more lines. He kept writing like this, and the letter paper was full of tears, and many words were stained. .

"Aye."

"Are you back?" When Old Dong heard that his daughter was back, he felt relieved. He came back so soon, so he probably didn't see her, or not, because there was a huge difference in status after all.

"Aye, Prime Minister Wu is hosting a banquet at Penglai Pavilion tonight. Mr. Chen is from Chang'an. His hometown is Sangquan County. Prime Minister Wu invites you to come over and meet him."

Dong Teng's mind buzzed.

"The doctor from Sangquan County in my hometown is now in Penglai Pavilion?"

"Well, let's go."

Dong Teng didn't care about writing a letter anymore and stood up quickly. Only then did he realize that the young man next to Mr. Wu was also here.

"Hello Shi Yanei, thank you for your trip."

"It's okay, come with me quickly, I'll just ask Dr. Chen about your family situation."

"Shi Yanei, what's Doctor Chen's name?"

"Chen Dade, a native of Sangquan, previously served as the governor of Lizhou and is now a doctor. This time he is sent as an envoy to Haidong,"

Upon hearing this name, Dong Teng was stunned again.

"what happened?"

"I, I have a brother-in-law, his name is Chen Dade." Old Dong couldn't help but trembled.

Asang and Shitou were both stunned for a moment, it couldn't be such a coincidence.

"Then maybe it's him. Hurry over there."

Dong Teng's heart was surging. His family was actually a powerful family in Sangquan County before. When he was in his thirties, he was the captain of the Yingyang Mansion and a high-ranking military attaché. His eldest sister married another noble family in the county, the Chen family, and his brother-in-law was named Chen Dade, a very talented and learned young man.

Although the Dong and Chen families are not as good as top famous families like Xue and Pei, they still have some status.

"How old is Dr. Chen?" On the way, Dong Teng asked a lot of questions, including his age and appearance. The more he asked, the closer he seemed to be, and he seemed to be his brother-in-law.

Finally, Dong Teng started running, eager to meet.

Finally, we went to Penglai Pavilion.

Old Dong came in breathing heavily, his eyes quickly searched the pavilion, and then stopped on the man wearing a crimson round-neck official robe.

His beard and hair are all white,

There are many wrinkles on the face,

It looks a little strange at first glance,

But after taking a closer look, I saw something familiar.

"Are you Chen Dalang from Linshu Village?" Dong Teng asked tentatively with wide eyes.

Chen Dade actually felt a little familiar when he saw Dong Teng.

He asked uncertainly, "Are you named Dong, from Dahuaizhuang?"

"Well, I am Dong Teng from Dahuaizhuang, Linsu Township, Sangquan County. I was the captain of the Yingyang Mansion in Hedong during the Daye period of the previous dynasty. Later, in the seventh year of Daye, I was ordered to conquer the Liao Dynasty and left home to gather in Zhuojun. I haven't been able to come back for more than 20 years," Old Dong burst into tears.

"elder brother!"

Chen Dade stood up quickly, walked quickly to Lao Dong, hugged him, and shouted tremblingly in disbelief, "Brother, I never thought you were still alive. I am Dade, your brother-in-law,

At that time, you never came back, and there was no news from you. It was said that you had died in the battle at the foot of Liaodong Mountain City, with no body left. When the family received the news, they were heartbroken, and the father-in-law and mother-in-law were even more heartbroken... ···”

No one could have imagined that they would meet again after more than twenty years, let alone here.

Dong Teng was eager to know the situation at home.

"I, Aye, am I still here?"

Chen Dade shook his head, "After the news came back that you died in the war, my mother-in-law left that year, and Aye also left the next year."

"What about my wives, concubines, and children?"

"It was okay at first. After all, the Dong family is not small. Brother's family originally had a lot of land, money and food, and the orphans and widowers could still live. However, within a few years, the world was in chaos, and the east of the river was not peaceful either. There were thieves everywhere. The horse bandits forced the family to leave their hometown and hide in various places..."

Fortunately, despite experiencing many hardships, Dong Teng's family managed to survive with the help of family and relatives. During this period, Dong Teng's wife, two concubines, three sons and four daughters, one concubine and one daughter died. One son, one two daughters, the others survived.

"Now, your eldest son has established a family and stabilized the family business. Your two sons and two daughters are all married, and your daughters are all married. You have one wife and one concubine. , It’s just that you are not in good health because of your age. If they knew you were still alive, they wouldn’t know how happy they would be.”

Dong Teng also talked about his experience in Liaodong. He was injured and captured. He was left behind in Goguryeo and was placed under Beisha City. He was even given a homeless girl as his wife. He was later conscripted to Beisha City to serve as a soldier. He was more than 20 years old. Over the years, I have also saved some family property and had children. Now I have several grandchildren.

Then he called Asang who was following him, "This is my youngest daughter Asang, she is fifteen this year."

(End of this chapter)