Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 492 Plague God Attributes

On the outskirts of Chang'an, Cheng family villa.

Li Dejian was in high spirits and chatted with his old friends in the courtyard.

Li Jing was an honest official who was good at keeping himself safe, so he did not leave a large amount of wealth to his descendants. Li Dejiang was governing a place outside, and there was no one to take care of his small family property in the capital, so he simply sold his family property in the capital and moved to a place where he served as an official.

When Li Dejian returned to Beijing this time, he had no place to live.

The Cheng family waved their hands and lent a summer resort outside the city to Li Dejian for temporary residence.

At this moment, eight or nine people were sitting casually in the other courtyard, including Cheng Chumo, Cheng Chuliang, and Cheng Chubi from the Cheng family, Wei Shuyu and Wei Shuwan from the Wei family, Duan Zan from the Duan family, Yuchi Baolin and Yuchi Baoqi from the Yuchi family, Qin Huaidao from the Qin family, and Su Qingjie from the Su family...

Li Dejian looked at these old friends with tears in his eyes, as if he had returned to the past.

At that time, they were all young men full of vigor and vitality. As the eldest son of Li Jing, his status was naturally high. Among the little devils of the Cheng family, Wei Zheng's son, Duan Zhixuan's son, Yuchi Jingde's son, Qin Qiong's son, these second-generation generals, which one of them did not follow his lead?
Wasn't Su Qingjie still not popular at that time?
However, because his father had great regard for his father Su Dingfang, although he did not accept any disciples, he often discussed military strategies with Su Dingfang, and the relationship between the two was both teacher and friend.

Li Dejian also got acquainted with Su Qingjie because of this.

However, due to Su Dingfang's horrific military performance in recent years, Su Qingjie, who was originally not very good, has become the best among this group of second-generations.

Cheng Chumo sat on a big rock beside the pond, with a wine jar beside him and a few wine cups in his hands. He said, "There's a saying that goes, after the storm there's always a rainbow. I'm still able to drink with Brother Li in this life, thanks to Mr. Chen. In my opinion, Brother, don't go back to Jiangnan. Just stay in Beijing. In your spare time, we can play polo together, go out to the wild to walk hawks, race horses, and fight dogs."

Duan Zan, Yuchi Baolin and Yuchi Baoqi said yes repeatedly.

Nowadays they have fewer opportunities to play polo, falconry and horse racing, but in the past they did so almost every day, competing to see whose eagle was more majestic, whose horse was faster, and whose dog was more ferocious.

There was a saying at that time: the Li family's horses were the fastest, the Cheng family's eagles were the most powerful, and the Qin family's dogs were the most ferocious.

The Li family's fast horse was Li Dejian's mount back then. It was a Qinghai dragon colt captured after conquering Tuyuhun and was a reward from Li Shimin. The Cheng family's eagle was a Gyrfalcon bought at a high price by Cheng Yaojin, and the Qin family's dog was a Shandong greyhound...

Li Dejian's mouth was dry and his throat was itchy. After a long while, he said, "Okay!"

How could Li Dejian not know that all this was Chen Qingsi's work?

It is true that they had played together and had a close relationship back then, but many years have passed.

Occasionally, when we meet someone we feel sentimental about, it is enough to have a drink together and reminisce about the past. Why would they go to such great lengths to persuade me to stay in the capital?

Li Dejian actually didn't want to come. After all, his precious daughter had become someone's concubine, so how could he have the face to come to Beijing?

What would you do if you ran into an old friend?

But Chen Qingsi was so capable that Li Dejian had no choice but to come.

He originally wanted to keep a low profile when meeting his daughter's wedding, but he didn't expect it to cause such a stir in the city that almost all of his old brothers in Beijing gathered together.

Li Dejian knew very well that he did not have this ability.

It must be the work of his powerful son-in-law, whose purpose was to keep him in Chang'an.

Looking at this group of old brothers, Li Dejian couldn't refuse.

After seeing everyone off, Li Dejian called his daughter over.

"When you are free, go with dad to the street to buy some good fabrics and make some nice clothes. Since you have decided to stay, you need to have your own place to live. Dad remembers that houses in the west of Chang'an are not expensive. You and I can pool our money and buy a simple courtyard."

The original design of Changan was flawed and was too big.

To the extent that areas far away from the East and West Markets and the Imperial City showed signs of desolation, most people preferred to crowd around the administrative center.

So no matter how glorious Chang'an is, the neighborhoods in the corners are still very cheap.

"it is good!"

Li Hongqing's eyes were curved, full of smiles.

Li Dejian saw this and said unhappily, "Are you satisfied? You found a husband, he is really amazing, your father was controlled by him. If you are bullied in the future, don't come to me, your father is no match for him."

Li Hongqing smiled and said, "Of course."

When Li Hongqing married into the Chen family, the person she was most worried about was Li Dejian.

Li Dejian kept saying that he wanted to quit taking Wu Shi San, but who knows if he could really do so?
Li Dejian's body had already been damaged by the Wu Shi San. If he continued to take it without restraint, there would be no telling when he would die.

Chen Qingsi specifically learned about Wu Shi San for this purpose. Wu Shi San is addictive, but it is not difficult to quit. It’s just that the influence of the environment is extremely important.

If Li Dejian really wanted to return to Suzhou and return to that familiar environment, he would definitely have to take Wu Shi San.

Chen Qingsi didn't want to make Li Hongqing sad and worried, so he used Li Dejian's former friends to keep him in the capital.

Facing a group of old friends who were superior to others, how could Li Dejian dare to transform himself into someone neither human nor ghost?
Li Hongqing thought about everything Chen Qingsi had done for her and no longer had any regrets.
-
Chen's house!

When Chen Qingsi was preparing for his wedding, a dusty young man came to ask for a meeting.

"Huaiying!"

When Chen Qingsi saw that it was Di Renjie, a hint of expectation flashed in his eyes.

He had already smelled a little bit of the scent of war, and the news coming from the Western Regions all revealed that a storm was about to come.

In the future, his goal will be to prepare for war. Chen Qingsi is still very relieved about the affairs of the temple.

With Li Zhi around, Empress Wu couldn't stir up any trouble. But the rat behind Empress Wu couldn't be ignored, as a single rat dropping could spoil the whole pot of soup.

It can be said that Di Renjie arrived at the right time.

"Mr. Chen!"

Di Renjie bowed and saluted.

Looking at Di Renjie, who was a little darker and stronger, Chen Qingsi pulled him into the study to talk.

"How come it's a few days later than the agreed time?"

As Chen Qingsi spoke, he fiddled with the tea set.

Di Renjie said, "When I passed through Meixiang County, I encountered a strange case and stayed there for a few days."

Chen Qingsi paused. Did he really get it right?

Sure enough, the protagonist should be treated like a protagonist.

How could the god of bad luck and death not be around a man like Di Renjie?
To use a famous quote from later generations, this is not called bad luck and death always being around, but rather having a nose for discovering cases.

It would be great if you had this ability! You wouldn't be afraid of not being able to catch mice.

"solved?"

Even though it was unnecessary, Chen Qingsi still asked.

Di Renjie said, "It has been resolved. The follow-up matters will be handed over to the governor of Taozhou. The documents should be sent to the Ministry of Justice soon."

Chen Qingsi kept brewing tea and said, "It seems that the matter is not small. The governor of Taozhou, I remember it was Zhang Wencong. He has a good reputation and is the elder brother of Mr. Zhang. It is a great opportunity for you to get to know him. It will be of great benefit to you in the future in the government."

Di Renjie had heard a lot about the conflict between Chen Qingsi and the current Prime Minister Zhang Wenguan along the way, but he did not hide it and said, "Governor Zhang also wrote a letter of recommendation for me, so that I can find Prime Minister Zhang with the letter of recommendation after I go to Beijing."

"That's great!" Chen Qingsi said, "Mr. Zhang is now in charge of the administration of officials, and you are working in the Censorate. The main task of the Censorate is to investigate and impeach officials and rectify discipline. If you go to Mr. Zhang with this letter, you will definitely win his favor. With your talent, as long as you are valued, you will definitely achieve results."

Di Renjie was a little surprised.

Chen Qingsi said, "You don't have to worry about the conflict between me and Zhang Xianggong. We have different political views, not mortal enemies. Huaiying is prudent, you can judge the right and wrong. You don't have to get involved. Since you are in the Censorate, you should do the Censorate's work. I don't agree with Zhang Xianggong's extreme style, but I agree with his administration."

"The government has been peaceful for many years, and there are many people who are just sitting there doing nothing. The trend of lazy governance really needs to be changed..."

"I am in charge of the Ministry of War and am mainly responsible for military affairs. I can't help you much. On the contrary, it is Zhang Xianggong who can back you up. Zhang Xianggong is a trustworthy person. With his support, your work in the Censorate will be much smoother."

Chen Qingsi said this and handed the brewed tea to Di Renjie.

As for Di Renjie, Chen Qingsi had no intention of recruiting him into the Qingliu Party.

It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s inappropriate.

Di Renjie was a man with extremely strong political opinions, which can be seen from his refusal to develop in Beijing and to take shortcuts.

Di Renjie did not care about the size of his official position. No matter what position he was in, he was willing to contribute his strength and bring benefits to the people.

In history, Di Renjie was demoted from a high position many times, even from a high position as a prime minister to a small county magistrate in Pengze. If it were most people, they would probably feel that their ambitions were unrealized, or they would feel sorry for themselves, feel depressed, or just give up, drink and write poetry to express their resentment.

Di Renjie was different. When he was a prime minister, he did the prime minister's work. He was a famous prime minister throughout history, in charge of all the confidential matters of the country, and few people were as outstanding as him. When he was demoted to be a county magistrate, he was a good county magistrate, working wholeheartedly for the welfare of the people of the county.

His stability of mentality and strength of mind are rarely matched.

Di Renjie is not someone who can be easily bound by interests, rights, and political ambitions...

Instead of forcibly tying his hands and feet, it is better to let him do what he wants.

He had no time to take care of the affairs of the court, and asking Di Renjie to investigate the people behind Empress Wu would inevitably put him in danger. It was best to have Zhang Wenguan backing him up.

As for whether Di Renjie would become Zhang Wenguan's man, Chen Qingsi was not worried.

He was not even sure he could control Di Renjie, so how could Zhang Wenguan be qualified to do so?
Di Renjie took the teacup with both hands, smelled the tea, blew away the heat, took a sip, and then said, "The teacher has taught the student another lesson."

It is said that a prime minister has a heart as big as the sky. Although Mr. Chen is not a prime minister, his mind is far broader than that of a prime minister.

Di Renjie thought for a moment and took out a emerald green inkstone from his bag, saying, "This is a rare inkstone I found in Lintao. I am giving it to you to congratulate you on your wedding."

This gift was given abruptly. In fact, Di Renjie had no intention of giving a gift at first.

The main reason is that I think what Chen Qingsi did was inappropriate.

I feel that although Chen Qingsi did nothing wrong towards Li Hongqing, it was a great harm to his wife.

That is, he was deeply in love with the lady from the Li family, to the point that he was unwilling to let down the emperor or his lover.

What about Xiao Miaochen, the first wife?
Di Renjie respected Chen Qingsi very much and didn't want to say anything bad about him, but he also didn't want to congratulate him.

But when I arrived in Chang'an today, I heard "Last Night's Stars and Last Night's Wind" written by Chen Qingsi for Xiao Miaochen.

In fact, there are many people who think the same as Di Renjie. After all, Xiao Miaochen's virtue is well known to everyone.

This is true both internally and externally...

Qianyan is not the only one who feels indignant about this.

But with the release of the hit song "Last Night's Stars, Last Night's Wind", all that was left in Chang'an was envy.

In this patriarchal era, it is normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines.

If Chen Qingsi had not married in violation of the law, based on Chen Qingsi's status, no one would have said anything even if he had taken seven or eight girls into his house.

Now, although I don't have the wings of a phoenix to fly together, our hearts are still connected. How can I have the best of both worlds, without disappointing the emperor and my lover?

What is there for outsiders to interfere with?
Di Renjie was an honest official and had no valuables of his own. This inkstone was obtained when he solved a case in Taozhou. It was the only valuable and presentable thing he had.

Chen Qingsi took the inkstone and looked at it from left to right. He saw that the inkstone was emerald green, elegant and rare. He touched it and found that the material was hard and fine. He praised it highly, saying, "It is indeed a good inkstone."

This should be the Tao Inkstone Stone, one of the four famous inkstones, right?

It has been recorded since ancient times that Taozhou produces strange stones.

However, it was not until the Kaiyuan period that people became famous for making inkstones out of strange stones.

There is no such thing as Tao inkstone stone, but the quality of this inkstone stone is no less than the long-famous Qingzhou inkstone and Jiangzhou inkstone...

After bidding farewell to Di Renjie, Chen Qingsi found Zhou Kui again.

"How's the investigation going for you?"

Chen Qingsi asked Zhou Kui to investigate four people, namely the four cruel officials under Empress Wu, Lai Junchen, Zhou Xing, Wan Guojun and Suo Yuanli.

In fact, this was a desperate move. The four cruel officials all rose to power after Empress Wu ascended the throne. In order to stabilize her power, Empress Wu specially started the trend of informing on others and used the four cruel officials to eliminate dissidents in order to secure her position as emperor.

But since I have no clue, I will use the plug-in that I, a descendant of the future generation, can use to open my third eye and check them one by one.

Since he's free anyway, he might as well find something for Zhou Kui to do.

Zhou Kui said with a bitter face: "My dear, at present, we have only found accurate information about Wan Guojun. As for Zhou Xing, his name is too common. There are three clerks working in Chang'an. There is such a person as Lai Junchen, but his whereabouts are unknown now. There is no news about Suo Yuanli..."

Chen Qingsi didn't expect any results, and said indifferently: "Tell me in detail!"

Zhou Kui said: "Wan Guojun is now working in the Ministry of Works. He was originally from the Ministry of Justice and was very good at forcing confessions. Later, for some reason, he was transferred to the Ministry of Works. Now he is following Li Chongde to dig canals and control floods."

"Zhou Xing's age doesn't match at all. He is definitely not the person Lang is looking for."

"Lai Junchen, this should be the one Lang is looking for. He is the Wannian man. The Bad Commander still remembers him clearly. This man is vicious and cruel by nature, capricious, and unproductive. The Bad Commander described him as a born bad seed. He was beaten by the Bad Commander and ran away. His whereabouts are unknown."

(End of this chapter)