Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 71 Shocked!

"Teacher, this is Honglianchun, who was famous in Chang'an back then."

In the study room of He Zhizhang's residence in Xuanpingfang, Fang Chongyong handed a jar of newly brewed "Red Lotus Spring" to He Zhizhang.This is a privately brewed wine at home. Fang Chongyong doesn't know how good Fang Dafu's craftsmanship is, but there is no doubt that it is definitely not as good as the one brewed by a professional winery.

The threshold for brewing red koji wine is very low. In the rural areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian in his previous life, many places had the tradition of home-brewing red koji wine after the autumn harvest. It does not require complicated brewing equipment. It can be said that as long as there is a yard to prepare red koji wine It can be done.

"You're welcome, you're welcome."

He Zhizhang put down the drink with a smile, and then took Fang Chongyong to sit at the table.

"Write a few words and see."

"Okay, teacher."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, sat in front of the desk, polished the ink very skillfully, and spread out the large paper.

He had practiced calligraphy in his previous life, and even took elective courses in college. After joining the workforce, he even attended a so-called "calligraphy training class."

To be honest, he is quite confident about this.When I was in Kuizhou, Lao Zheng never complained about my writing.

Fang Chongyong immediately picked up a pen and wrote two lines on the paper:

Where there is a will, there is a way, and if the boat is overwhelmed, Qin Guan will eventually belong to Chu.

If you work hard and live up to your expectations, you can swallow Wu for three thousand more.

After finishing writing, he handed both hands to He Zhizhang to check.

"These two lines of writing are excellent... But this word, I don't know who taught it by a mediocre person. It is full of craftsmanship and there is no cure. Alas."

He Zhizhang sighed with some regret.

Fang Chongyong was speechless. He couldn't even remember the name of the teacher in the open calligraphy class.

"You just learn to write from me, and you won't need to say anything else until I approve it."

He Zhizhang made the final decision and sentenced Fang Chongyong to "death".

"Teacher, don't you teach some poetry or something?"

Fang Chongyong looked at He Zhizhang speechlessly and asked.This old man is so listless, what kind of teacher, he is just fooling around!

What is the use of learning calligraphy?

This is the tuition fee for 80 pieces of Tang brocade!
That's it?

Fang Chongyong scolded He Zhizhang in his heart for being disrespectful and shameless, but he didn't dare to show any emotion on his face.

"If you can't even write well, why should you write an article? I'm going to drink, so you can write here. I'll come back to see you in the evening. After you finish practicing calligraphy, you can go on your own."

He Zhizhang said perfunctorily casually, and after finishing speaking, he went out with the copycat version of Honglianchun, and he didn't know where he went.

"Hey, if you use money to do things, don't expect others to be too caring."

After He Zhizhang left, Fang Chongyong sighed softly.Many things cannot be controlled as one wishes.

There is actually a natural gap between the social class that He Zhizhang belongs to and the class that Fang Youde belongs to.

Although it is absolutely impossible to have money in this world, there are indeed certain limitations.Lao He takes money to do things, of course he just needs to be willing, but you still expect others to teach you everything?
If you are allowed to raise the banner in the future, you will be regarded as a very magnanimous person.

Zheng Shuqing's guess was indeed correct, but Fang Chongyong did not expect He Zhizhang to be so straightforward and unwilling to even do face-saving work.

"Just practice calligraphy, alas!"

Fang Chongyong saw a copybook written by He Zhizhang on the desk, and already understood what the other party meant: Just write it down, kid, don't be lazy.

……

"This subordinate will go to Hanjiacang, Luoyang for business tomorrow, and I am here today to bid farewell to Prime Minister Right."

In a small study in Li Linfu's residence in Pingkangfang, Zheng Shuqing was bidding farewell to Li Linfu and was preparing to leave Chang'an.

Although he was already the Minister of Household Affairs and the transfer envoy, Zheng Shuqing was still able to treat Li Linfu with thorough courtesy. It must be said that even Fang Chongyong felt that Old Zheng was a person who could bend and stretch.

He did not forget how he got his position just because he became a high official.

"Hey, why are you so polite and bringing so many gifts to my door?"

Li Linfu took the gift list from Zheng Shuqing with a smile, obviously in a good mood.

"This time, my subordinates are responsible for transporting grain and fodder from Hexi to the west, and they still have to rely on the support and help of Prime Minister Right. It's just that after the subordinates go down, there is no way to do things without Prime Minister Right's full assistance in the court. Please also Prime Minister Right teach me how to deal with it. good."

Zheng Shuqing asked for instructions humbly.

"There is plenty of grain in Hexi. There will be no shortage of grain for a while. Regarding the transshipment, we are just worried about the protracted war. After you go to Hanjiacang, you can finish counting the grain. There is no need to worry about the transshipment."

Li Linfu waved his hand, and he admired Zheng Shuqing's "knowing nothing" look.

This kind of person can be truly obedient!
If you get someone who knows everything, who does things according to his own ideas and insists on screwing with you, isn't that going to be a bad start?
"If you find that Hanjiacang is short of food, you don't have to report it to the imperial court. You need to study the book and the truth first."

Li Linfu said calmly.

"The right minister is saying..."

Zheng Shuqing was startled, and asked as if he understood.

"Let's talk about it when the time comes, just follow your usual way of doing things, don't make extra troubles."

Li Linfu smiled slightly, making the hair on Zheng Shuqing's back stand up.

Of course Lao Zheng didn't know what Li Linfu was planning. The newly appointed right minister of the Tang Dynasty was working hard to clear out political opponents and recruit a large number of people who could do things.

Taking Hanjiacang in Luoyang as an introduction, this wave can cut off a large number of officials from non-own factions like wheat.

There is definitely a shortage of food in Hanjia Cang, because over the years, Hanjia Cang has been desperately transporting grain to Chang'an, and Hanjia Cang is probably mostly empty.Otherwise, Li Linfu would not think about increasing household taxes in Hebei.

Recently, Fang Youde, the envoy of Youzhou Jiedu, wrote a letter saying that the border town of Youzhou was unstable, and he needed to intercept part of the grain and fodder in Hebei for military use. He wanted to manage Liaodong for the imperial court and expand the territory.

Li Longji Joy has ordered that except for the six Hebei prefectures along the Yongji Canal that need to supply grain and fodder to Luoyang, the rest of Hebei's counties and counties will do their best to ensure the supply of grain and fodder to Youzhou Border Town.

In addition, Fang Youde also interceded for Wu Zhiyi, saying that he knew about military affairs and was mature and prudent, and hoped that the imperial court would not replace Jiedu envoy without reason before his term of office expired.

It is conceivable that under such circumstances, Wu Zhiyi may have become Fang Youde's lackey.A joint operation between the two feudal towns of Youzhou Border Town seems to be in the pipeline.

At the beginning, Pei Yaoqing was responsible for storing grain in Luoyang area.Now you can use Han Jiacang's empty excuse to cleanse Pei Yaoqing's remnants.

Are these people responsible?
According to the rules, there is no responsibility, because they are also working hard to transport grain. Hanjiacang was once full, but the grain was transported to Chang'an.

But for Li Longji, what he wants is not the process of doing things, but the result of doing things.Now he needs food and fodder from Hanjiacang, but those people can't satisfy, this is the original sin!
The emperor was willful and often unreasonable.Those who work below should never have the illusion that "I am impeccable in my work."

Li Linfu knew this well.

"Yang Yuhuan takes over, what do you think about this matter?"

Seeing that Zheng Shuqing was silent and seemed to be in deep thought, Li Linfu asked casually.

"Ah? The subordinates don't know about such things, but King Shou must not be able to be a prince. This is human nature."

Zheng Shuqing said hesitantly.

Li Linfu nodded noncommittally. Even a fool could see this.Li Longji took Yang Yuhuan away, and then established King Shou as the prince. Wasn't this just causing trouble for himself?

"The saint recently established a flower and bird envoy and appointed Lei Haiqing to take this position. He then went out to Chang'an to search for beauties across the country and collected them in Chang'an for the saint's entertainment. Do you think this matter has something to do with Yang Yuhuan?"

Li Linfu asked another question that Zheng Shuqing didn't know how to answer.

"A saint wants so many beauties... can he be busy?"

Zheng Shuqing asked doubtfully.

Li Linfu was amused by his words, waved his hand and said: "You don't have to worry about this kind of thing. In fact, I think this may be a sage's secret plan. In the future, Yang Yuhuan will be a noble concubine... I'm afraid it's inevitable. .”

He couldn't help saying with emotion.

In the spring of this year, Li Longji killed three sons in one day. At that time, Shouwang Li Wei was so high-spirited, it seemed that he would be the next prince.

How is the result?

His mother, Concubine Wu Hui, died of a mysterious illness, and Princess Yang Yuhuan was forcibly taken away by her father, Li Longji. How could it be such a tragedy?

The ups and downs of life are really sad.

"Then, does the right minister want to recommend the new prince to the saint?"

Zheng Shuqing asked in a low voice, confused.

This question stopped Li Linfu.

The prince is the foundation of the country, and others don't need to ask who the prince is, and don't care whether to establish a prince or not.However, only Li Linfu, who served as the right minister, could not.

At first Zhang Jiuling sided with Prince Li Ying, not because he thought Li Ying was so wise and powerful.It's because he is the right minister and is responsible for the country.

According to Confucian views, the prince is the foundation of the country, and Zhang Jiuling must take charge of it.

But now, it's Li Linfu's turn to face this problem. What should he do?

"If you want to recommend, which prince do you think is best to recommend?"

Li Linfu pretended to be relaxed and asked.

"The saint has no legitimate son, but the loyal king (Li Heng) is older and will definitely be the prince in the future. It is just a matter for the right minister to decide who to recommend as the prince. How dare my subordinates speak nonsense."

Zheng Shuqing said cautiously.

Li Linfu's eyes lit up, and he nodded approvingly: "What you said is true. Since coming back from Kuizhou, things have been handled quite appropriately. So I'm going to ask you now, if you were asked to handle this matter, who would you recommend?"

How do I know this!
Zheng Shuqing was so anxious that he was about to cry, he quickly bowed his head and saluted, and said in panic: "This subordinate really doesn't know, it's not that he intentionally deceived the right minister, how can this subordinate talk nonsense and miss the right minister's important matter!"

"Understood, this matter must be kept secret and must not be told to outsiders."

Li Linfu nodded slightly and said, he also felt that Zheng Shuqing did not seem to be the material for Quan Dou.

I was thinking about who would be the prince. Almost every minister would guess, and it didn't matter if Zheng Shuqing guessed it.But it's one thing to feel it in my heart, and it's another thing to recommend Li Longji!
"Right minister, don't worry, your subordinates are very strict with their mouths." Zheng Shuqing swore.

"Go ahead. When you get to Luoyang, see more and talk less."

Li Linfu waved his hand, signaling Zheng Shuqing to get out of here.

After the latter left the house, Li Linfu fell into deep thought.

The prince is the foundation of the country, which does not mean that the next emperor must be transformed from a prince.

Don't talk about other dynasties, just talk about Datang.When the prince can safely and securely succeed to the throne, there is almost no one.

Either the halberd fell into the sand halfway, or the emperor waited tremblingly until his death.

But this does not mean that establishing a prince is unimportant.

Because of the presence of the prince, many princes will not openly form cliques to engage in power struggles, and the country's political situation can also enter a stable period without major ups and downs.

If there is no prince, then I'm sorry, all the ministers, regardless of the inner court or the border town, will naturally look for a backer, because everyone knows that every prince has the opportunity to be the emperor.

As long as you have the power of Conglong, you can ensure that your family will prosper for at least several decades!

In this case, the country's political situation will not be even theoretically stable.

Therefore, whether Li Linfu is in public or private life, he will recommend a candidate for the crown prince to Li Longji. This is a sure thing.

The only question is, who to recommend!
Now even Zheng Shuqing and others see that the loyal king Li Heng is very likely to become the next prince, so will Li Linfu recommend Li Heng to Li Longji?

the answer is negative.

The right prime minister of the Tang Dynasty wore a pair of trousers with the prince. Is that a statement to Li Longji: It would be better for you to abdicate as soon as possible. The country no longer needs you.

Is this okay?
Of course not, this is what Li Longji is most worried about.And as he got older, he became more sensitive to such questions.

After Li Heng became the crown prince, Li Linfu, the right minister, had to fight to the death!This is what Li Longji is eagerly looking forward to.

Li Linfu tapped the back of his hand with his fingers, thinking about countermeasures.

Yang Yuhuan was robbed and imprisoned in the palace as a forbidden concubine. Li Longji wanted outsiders to know about this, but he didn't want outsiders to discuss it.

This subtle ambivalence made Li Linfu weigh repeatedly.

"It seems that we still need to tell the sage to recommend King Shou as the crown prince."

Li Linfu couldn't help but sigh.

This kind of recommendation is unnecessary and seems to have low IQ.

Everyone knew that the daughter-in-law was already in the father-in-law's bed. How could this miserable son become the prince?

But after chatting with Zheng Shuqing today, Li Linfu confirmed his thoughts even more.

The things that foreign ministers do not want to see may be exactly what Li Longji is looking forward to.

The meaning of the existence of the Right Prime Minister is to share the worries of the saints.

……

At night, Fang Chongyong was soundly asleep when he suddenly heard the sound of fighting in the yard!
He quickly got up from the bed and hid under the table.After a while, the sound of fighting disappeared, and a familiar child's voice came from outside the door.

"Lang Jun, get up quickly, there is a thief in the house! My grandfather has already caught him."

Fang Chongyong crawled out from under the table and opened the door carefully, revealing a crack.I saw Fang Laique holding a torch, and Fang Dafu was pressing a young man to the ground.

"Someone dares to steal from the back door of Xingqing Palace. It's really weird."

Fang Chongyong looked at the man who was being pinned down on the ground with a puzzled look on his face.

"Lang Jun, be careful, this man is hungry. If he is not hungry, I may not be able to beat him."

Fang Dafu was still holding the kitchen knife in one hand, not daring to let go.

"Bring it to the lobby and we'll find out after a trial."

Fang Chongyong snorted.

He just wanted to see that someone came to his house to steal when he didn't offend anyone. What on earth did this person want to do?
(End of this chapter)