The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 187 Everyone Has the Heart of Gossip
Uncle Guo is a hard-core matchmaker, but Zhu Xiaozi is unable to resist and can only suffer aggrievedly.

After talking about Zhu Xiu's wedding, Guo Wei took a sip from the teacup.

Perhaps it was because he saw Li Shouzhen defeated like a mountain today, and his old friend was now like a street rat, being chased all over the city, Guo Wei felt a bit of inexplicable sadness in his heart, which diluted the joy of the army's victory and entry into the city.

Guo Wei thought about the past, and many past events came to mind.

Fu Jinzhan and Fu Zhaoxin sat down beside them, and Zhu Xiu found a corner next to them.

"Girl Jinzhan, your life has not been easy these years, has it?" Guo Wei looked at her with a little pity in his eyes, "I remember that year in Jinzhou, when your father sent you to the house, you were bleeding I clenched my fists with tears and entered the Li family gate."

Fu Jinzhan was silent for a moment, then smiled relievedly and said, "It's all in the past, but my uncle still remembers it."

Guo Wei put down the tea cup with a bang and said angrily: "Why don't you remember! If Li Shouzhen hadn't taken the initiative first, you should be my daughter-in-law now!"

Zhu Xiugang took a sip of tea and almost spit it out. He forced himself to hold it in and coughed repeatedly, which made Guo Wei stare.

Zhu Xiuqian smiled and hurriedly bowed to apologize, his eyes rolled rapidly, hesitating whether he should find an excuse to run away.

After all, this melon is too big and I’m worried that I won’t be able to eat it.

But an activated Bagua heart can’t stop burning with the blazing Bagua fire.

Zhu Xiu held up the tea cup as a cover-up, but in fact her ears were perked up.

Embarrassment flashed across Fu Jinzhan's cheeks. It was obvious that Guo Wei's words just now were not just nonsense, but something really happened, and Fu Jinzhan knew it too!

Fu Zhaoxin shook his head regretfully and said, "This incident later became a big regret in my father's heart."

Guo Wei was very upset: "It's my fault for this. I have been away from home all year round. I have been so busy that I have forgotten all the housework. Only when I think of coming to your father to arrange a marriage between you and my eldest son can I get married." Knowing that you have been betrothed to Li Chongxun. It's a pity that the tiger father and dog son, how can that kid be worthy of you!"

Fu Jinzhan lowered his head and said softly: "The past is over, and my niece doesn't care about it for a long time."

Guo Wei leaned against his body, his eyes full of memories: "I remember that year, your father and I both worked together in Luoyang, your father took you to visit my house for the first time, and it was also the first time you and Brother Rong met. Grabbing a bamboo horse, you girl, you actually punched Brother Rong until his nose started to bleed and he started wailing. Haha~~"

Speaking of the children's childhood fun, Uncle Guo smiled kindly.

Fu Jinzhan's cheeks turned red and he couldn't help but smile.

Fu Zhaoxin smiled and said: "I vaguely remember my father telling me this interesting thing. My eldest sister has been practicing martial arts since she was a child. Even I was afraid of her when I was a child."

Zhu Xiu listened with great interest. The little lolita Fu Jinzhan beat the young lady Chai Rong. What a wonderful fate!

Just as he was talking, a tall and heroic figure strode into the main hall. He was wearing a lion hood, black lacquer mountain armor, and a black military robe. It was Chai Rong.

"Commander, we have sent word from Zicheng that there is news about Li Shouzhen and his son!" Chai Rong knelt down on one knee to perform a military salute and spoke in a deep voice.

When he saw Fu Jinzhan was there, he was stunned and nodded slightly.

"Oh? How about it? Did you catch it?" Guo Wei quickly stood up and asked.

Chai Rong got up, glanced at Fu Jinzhan, clasped his fists and said, "Li Shouzhen and his son burned themselves to death in a grain depot!"

The hall fell silent, Fu Jinzhan lowered his head, and there was some sadness in his eyes.

"Alas" Guo Wei sat down slowly and sighed, "If I had known today, why bother? The defeat is already certain, so why bother? That's all."

Chai Rong said: "General Bai Wenke has ordered people to use good coffins to collect the bones."

Guo Wei nodded, looked at Fu Jinzhan and said hesitantly: "You"

Fu Jinzhan gathered his quilt and saluted, and said in a cold and authentic voice: "Uncle, the deceased has passed away. My niece wants to pay homage and ask for my uncle's permission."

After a pause, she said softly: "Li Chongxun and I have no marital relationship, but his father and son are related to me after all, and they treated me well in the early years. For moral reasons, we should pay homage to him."

Guo Wei praised and said: "It should be so, you can go. It's just that his father and son committed a treasonous crime after all. Without the official's order, it is impossible to determine what standard of etiquette will be used for burial. The mourning hall will not be set up, and there will be no practice. You Just go and put some incense sticks on it.”

Fu Jinzhan nodded silently and left the hall. Fu Zhaoxin apologized and followed to take care of him.

Guo Wei looked at his brother and sister, and suddenly regretted: "This girl is intelligent, she knows the basics, she is a good match for my son, she let her go, what a pity!~~"

Chai Rong asked suspiciously, "Father, what do you mean by that?"

Guo Wei just shook his head and sighed, ignoring him.

Chai Rong looked at Zhu Xiu with a questioning look: "What were you talking about just now?"

Zhu Xiu said without thinking: "The commander-in-chief is telling interesting stories about you and Mrs. Fu when they were young! He said that you were punched by Mrs. Fu until you bleeded and shed tears!"

"." Chai Rong's face trembled and he was speechless.

Zhu Xiu laughed guiltily, trying to get through.

Zhu Xiu felt guilty and panicked at the thought of discussing his marriage to Fu's second wife in front of Chai Rong.

After all, according to the historical trajectory, if nothing unexpected happens, the second lady should also marry Chai Rong.
Chai Rong said helplessly: "These are all old things, so why should my father bring them up again?"

Guo Wei didn't seem to want to talk about this topic in front of Chai Rong, and said with a smile: "That's all, I just felt a little sad when I saw Li Shouzhen in such a state today. By the way, Da Lang, get ready to hand over to Hu Yanke and the Tianxiong Army. Leave it to him."

Chai Rong asked in surprise: "Commander Father has decided to transfer me to serve in the Yongxing Army?"

Guo Wei said in a deep voice: "Yes, the Yongxing Army guarding Chang'an is a stable ballast in Guanzhong. It has been seriously poisoned by the rebellion. Go and rectify it, gouging out the flesh and detoxifying it, removing the decay and regenerating the muscle!"

Uncle Guo's words were filled with a faint chilling air. Chai Rong shivered, clasped his fists and shouted: "The last general takes orders! I will definitely live up to the great trust of the court and my father!"

Zhu Xiu asked in a low voice: "May I ask the commander-in-chief if he has anyone to guard the river?"

Guo Wei stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It is already in my heart, you might as well take a guess! Let me give you a hint, it is among the entourage of this counter-insurgency army!"

Zhu Xiu subconsciously made a gesture of shaking a chicken feather fan, pondered for a moment, and said: "There are many people under the commander-in-chief who are qualified to take over as the commander-in-chief of the Hezhong Army, but in my opinion, there is only one person who is most suitable, Tongzhou Defense Commander Li Glory!"

Guo Wei's eyes lit up, and he said calmly, "Tell me, why?"

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly: "This person has a lot of experience, but his reputation is not obvious. When the late emperor raised troops in Jinyang, Li Rong was also a man of the dragon. It is said that this person has some family relationship with the Empress Dowager Li's family. The industry values ​​him very much. If this person takes over the Hezhong Army, both the court and the commander-in-chief will be able to rest assured."

Chai Rong wanted to test him and said with a smile: "Since Li Rong is a relative of the Queen Mother, why would the commander feel free to hand over Hezhong to him?"

Guo Wei also stared at him, and Zhu Xiu spread his arms and said with a smile: "I have heard that Li Rong and Du Chongwei are friends. Two years ago in Hebei, Du Chongwei colluded with the Khitan people to cause rebellion. The late emperor recommended Li Rong as the vanguard commander, defeated Du Chongwei and the Khitan allied forces, and regained the late emperor's trust.

With such great kindness, Li Rong and Guo Shuai must have a good relationship secretly."

Guo Wei and Chai Rong were surprised. Guo Wei hurriedly asked: "How did you know about this secret matter?" Zhu Xiu's face remained unchanged and said: "Back then, when we were chatting with me in Cangzhou City, Chai Shuai mentioned that I have a good memory. , say it once and remember it.”

"Did I say that?" Chai Rong looked confused and couldn't remember whether he had said it before.

Guo Wei glared at Chai Rong angrily: "Thank you for only telling this kid. If outsiders know, it will inevitably lead to trouble!"

Chai Rong had no choice but to admit his mistake: "This is my child's lack of consideration, and I will never do it again in the future!"

Zhu Xiu looked calm and could only bow to Chai Rong inwardly to apologize.

Of course, with Chai Rong's cautious character, he would not talk about this kind of thing.

Zhu Xiu knew that there was no other reason than reading historical records.

Li Rong is not a simple person, and he will be considered a man of the day in the future.

After learning that he had appeared under Guo Wei's rebel army as the defense envoy of Tongzhou, Zhu Xiu speculated that he should be the person left by Uncle Guo to clean up the mess in the river.

There is no one more suitable than him.

Zhu Xiu remembered something again and said with a smile: "If the commander-in-chief intends to let General Li Rong take charge of the Hezhong Army, he will need to ask another person to recommend it to the court, and the commander-in-chief cannot recommend it himself."

Guo Wei said: "I think so too, but who should I ask to help recommend it to the court?"

Zhu Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Please ask Luoyang to stay behind, and King Linqing Gao will go to Zhou!"

Guo Wei thought for a moment, pointed at Zhu Xiu and laughed: "Good boy, you are really a cunning little fox! Haha~"

Gao Xingzhou went back to Kaifeng to recuperate. With his weight, when the court is discussing the candidates for the military governor of Hezhong, they will definitely send someone to consult him.

Once Gao Xingzhou made the recommendation, his uncle Li Ye would definitely agree with both hands and feet, and the matter was half done.

During the discussion, Wei Renpu hurried into the hall, with a sergeant behind him holding a wooden box.

"Go down." After seeing the ceremony, Wei Renpu ordered the sergeant to retreat.

"Did you find anything?" Guo Wei smiled.

Wei Renpu pointed to the wooden box: "For more than a year, all the correspondence between Kaifeng and Puzhou are here!"

Guo Wei opened the wooden box and grabbed a pile of letters. There were at least several hundred letters in the box.

"So many" Guo Wei was also a little surprised, shook his head and sneered: "It seems that when Li Shouzhen raised troops, there were not a few people who were optimistic about him!"

Wei Renpu sneered: "In such a large court, they sing praises of virtue all day long and claim to be loyal ministers, but how many people really take the word loyalty to heart?"

Guo Wei glanced at it for a few times, but was not interested in opening the envelopes and reading them. Even the person who wrote the letter didn't bother to know.

"These things are hot potatoes. Tell me, what should we do?"

Wei Renpu said solemnly: "I suggest burning them all."

Chai Rong thought for a moment and said, "My child agrees with what Mr. Wei said."

Guo Wei chuckled and said: "With these letters, nearly half of the court ministers have something to grasp in my hands. It would be a pity to burn them. Zhu Xiu, what do you think?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "The commander-in-chief is an upright and heroic hero of the day. Naturally, he disdains using such despicable means to control courtiers. In the old days of the Battle of Guandu, when the war was about to begin, Hanchen of Xudu secretly communicated with Yuan Shao of Hebei and wrote letters. After the Battle of Guandu, all these letters fell into the hands of Cao Cao. The courtiers in Xudu were panicked, worried that Cao Cao would settle accounts with this fall, but Cao Cao burned the letters in a fire. Competing to join.

Why doesn't the commander-in-chief learn from Cao Cao, win people's hearts, and spread his prestige at home? "

Wei Renpu smiled and said: "Zhu Shaolang's words are right. Compared with deceitful means, the commander-in-chief needs an upright conspiracy to win people's hearts!"

Guo Wei laughed, waved his hand and shouted: "Burn!"

A sergeant brought the brazier, and Zhu Xiu and Wei Renpu took out the letters and threw them one by one into the brazier and burned them to ashes.

After doing this, Zhu Xiu and Chai Rong retired first, leaving only Guo Wei and Wei Renpu in the hall.

Guo Wei stared closely at the dark red charcoal in the brazier. Some black ash was blown by the wind and fell all over the floor.

Guo Wei suddenly asked suspiciously: "Wei Shusheng, did you say something to Zhu Xiu in private?"

Wei Renpu smiled and said, "What does the commander mean by this?"

Guo Weihu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he whispered: "Don't you think that Zhu Xiu's thoughts are very similar to yours? You all seem to want me to fight against the imperial court?"

Wei Renpu stroked his beard and chuckled: "It's not about fighting, but trying to protect yourself! When you have no choice, you might as well go one step further!"

It is hard to imagine that the eyes of a seemingly frail middle-aged scholar can shine with such terrifying ambition.

Guo Wei said solemnly: "You want me to follow Li Shouzhen's old path?"

Wei Renpu laughed and said: "Li Shouzhen is nothing more than a dolphin dog, and the commander is a real giant dragon of the abyss, just waiting for a chance to soar into the clouds and transform into a dragon. The two cannot be compared!"

Guo Wei was silent for a long time and sighed: "The late emperor treated me with deep love and righteousness. I swore an oath when I asked him to be an orphan. As long as the Liu family does not disappoint me, I will not disappoint the Liu family! What's more, if my selfish interests drag the world into war, I will Isn’t it true that Guo Wei has become a rebellious minister and a traitor, and is despised by everyone in the world?”

Wei Renpu smiled wryly and said: "The commander-in-chief is willing to be Yiyin Huoguang, but he is afraid that the current government is a cruel and unkind king of Jie and Zhou. The commander-in-chief takes one step back, but he will take countless steps until he pushes the commander-in-chief to the edge of the cliff."

Guo Wei got up, looked at the big Han dragon flag hanging high behind him, and said in a low voice: "I have no intention of confronting the officials, but I will never let others slaughter me! Judging from the current arrangement, even if I face the worst plan, I want to It is more than enough to protect himself. The official is still young, and after a few years, he should have the magnanimity and open-mindedness that a king should have."

Wei Renpu shook his head and said nothing. He always believed that the commander-in-chief was too optimistic about the government and the government.

The marshal had a good relationship with the Empress Dowager Li, but he forgot that the officials no longer listened to the Empress Dowager's advice, but instead trusted Li Ye, Wang Jun, Houzan, Nie Wenjin and other treacherous people.

Even if the official family can accommodate the commander-in-chief, if these people want to take power, the four most important ministers are the biggest obstacle.

When the commander-in-chief returns to the court with the power of victory, his prestige and popularity will reach its peak, and he will truly become a supreme minister.

But in this case, it is difficult to escape the consequences of high achievements and shocking the master.

The conflict between the official family and the ministers who care about their lives will definitely intensify further.

Wei Renpu couldn't help but feel a little worried. The commander-in-chief had a calm mind and extraordinary determination, but he was afraid that the officials would do something crazy and reckless under the instigation of a bunch of sycophants.
Guo Wei didn't want to continue talking about this topic, so he smiled and said, "It's strange to say that, I always feel that Zhu Xiu is also intentionally or unintentionally reminding me to guard against the court. Sometimes, I really suspect that the two of you have discussed it in private. !”

Wei Renpu smiled and said: "Youdao means that heroes have the same views. Zhu Xiu is extremely talented. I will seriously discuss it with him when I have the opportunity."

Speaking of Zhu Xiu, Guo Wei became interested and said with a smile: "By the way, before you came just now, I acted as a matchmaker for Zhu Xiu in front of Fu Zhaoxin and Fu Jinzhan, trying to match the two girls of the old Fu family. give him."

Immediately, Guo Wei chatted about gossip, Wei Renpu stroked his beard and nodded frequently, listening with gusto
(End of this chapter)