My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 27 Take care, Lord An~
Three days passed quickly. Shentu Jiafeng considered and deduced over and over again, and finally came up with the memorial, which was finally sent to Emperor Qi's case.

The result was just as Liu Rong expected: just an hour after receiving the memorial, Emperor Qi summoned Shen Tujia again.

This time, the monarch and his ministers did not stick to their own opinions, but communicated in a simple and in-depth manner about the details and direction of the Han family's next series of actions.

In the end, Shen Tujia returned to the Hou Mansion in a low-key manner, but failed to let the public in Chang'an see any clues about him.

——No one knows what the monarch and his ministers talked about, what the outcome was, and what tacit understanding they reached.

Only when Shentujia returned home, the Xuanzhao attendants who accompanied Shentujia caused vague speculations inside and outside the court.

The eldest son of the emperor should have passed this test...

·
It's still the 'study', or should I say pavilion.

The pavilion is still full of bamboo slips, as well as the simple and simple tables and tables.

They are still Prime Minister Shen Tujia and the emperor's eldest son Liu Rong.

Only this time, it was Liu Rong who stood with his hands behind his back, looking around the outside of the pavilion - looking at the entire Hou Mansion.

In just three days, Liu Rong's respect for Shen Tujia, the old prime minister and veteran leader, suddenly increased by three to five levels.

——At this moment, as far as Liu Rong could see, there was no decoration at all around the pavilion where the two of them were.

Apart from the wooden boxes used to hold the bamboo slips and the lampstand for lighting at night, there is simply a compacted earth floor - not to mention slates, not even cobblestones.

Beyond this courtyard is the backyard of the Hou Mansion, where only three or five female dependents live;
The main hall and main courtyard, which are separated by a wall from the courtyard, are more like a smaller Prime Minister's Mansion. They are basically only used for Shen Tujia's work contacts and cannot be counted as part of the Hou Mansion at all.

As for the servant who best embodies the power and financial resources, Liu Rong is even more ashamed of himself.

In the Phoenix Palace, Liu Rong alone had two palace servants responsible for daily living, two maids responsible for clothing, and miscellaneous eunuchs who were on call at any time.

As for the 'Palace Master' Li Ji, she even has the chef, servants and maids and eunuchs, controlling the fate of no less than twenty people!

There is only one Li Ji and one Phoenix Palace, both of which have thirty or fifty servants. Shen Tujia is also the leader of hundreds of officials, so it is not too bad;

But as far as Liu Rong saw with his own eyes, there was only a concierge, a housekeeper, a cook, and two servants in the entire Gu'anhou Mansion.

Even if you include the personal maids and maids of the female family members in the backyard, it is no more than ten fingers.

In Chang'an, let alone the level of public minister - it would be difficult to find anyone with an official rank of Qianshi or above who is so frugal.

However, Shen Tujia's explanation for this made Liu Rong even more ashamed and ashamed of his "extravagant" life.

"Young master should know that in his early years, I was in the army..."

Although he had settled his biggest worry and had to bear a heavier burden since then, Shen Tujia's face actually showed a touch of relaxation.

Regarding Liu Rong, he no longer had the previous deliberate alienation. Seeing Liu Rong's doubts, he also explained himself with a sigh.

“One general succeeds and thousands of bones wither, and a country stands tall and hundreds of generals die.”

"Everyone in the world thinks that the founding fathers were those who killed a few people and fought a few battles, and then they were able to tear apart the earth and benefit their descendants."

"But I don't know that this suddenly honored hero is only one among thousands or tens of thousands of people. He has established military honors and is rare to live to the day of the founding of the country..."

As he spoke, Shen Tujia's tone was obviously self-deprecating, but bursts of sentimentality also appeared in his brows.

"When Emperor Taizu Gao was granted the title of King of Han, his veterans had accumulated five hundred soldiers and led the army."

"In the first year of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Gao also ordered the Three Qin Dynasties. In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, Xiang Yu committed suicide in Wujiang River;
——In these short five years, out of the five hundred warriors under my command, not less than three thousand were killed..."

"Hey, is that funny?"

"There are only five hundred people, but more than three thousand good men have died in battle on the way to charge with me..."

In just a few words, the old prime minister's eyes turned red, and the smile on his face became more bitter and deliberate.

"For those who died in the war, Emperor Taizu Gao ordered them to be compensated, and senior ministers also visited their relatives as much as possible."

"And the disabled can only rely on the five hundred households of my Guanhou Kingdom to survive and survive..."

After explaining why he was still living in such poverty even though he was the Prime Minister and the Marquis of Che, Shen Tujia lay tremblingly on his side in front of the table.

Perhaps because of my advanced age, my back is no longer so flexible. I feel that lying on my side is too strenuous, so I simply turn over and lie down on my back.

He took a long breath, turned his head slightly, and grinned at Liu Rong.

"Your Majesty, I agree."

"Your Majesty promised to send letters of credence to the Huns at the beginning of spring in order to seek peace."

"When the Huns envoy enters the court, we will wait for an opportunity to contact the descendants of the Marquis of Chang'an and Han Wangxin to inquire about the situation of the Huns." "I also promised Your Majesty: As long as I can confirm that the military officials intend to attack King Youxian, I will no longer serve the border. Qiang Qiang was worried and tried his best to help His Majesty reduce the vassal state and deal with all the consequences caused by the reduction of the vassal state..."

As he spoke, Shen Tujia's voice became lower, and his gaze towards Liu Rong became more profound.

Feeling Shen Tujia's strange gaze, Liu Rong had to pretend to be calm even though he felt guilty;

After three days of raising it, although the scabs had just formed on the back and thighs, he could barely walk freely. He walked to the pavilion pillar with a smile and leaned his shoulder lightly on the pillar.

"Isn't this a good thing?"

"So Anhou got what he wanted, and my father no longer has to worry about how to persuade the old stubborn cow like the Prime Minister;"

"The monarch and his ministers should work together and cooperate with each other. When Liu Bi raises his troops in the future, the court will also be united..."

"--Why?"

But when Shen Tujia suddenly opened his mouth, he ignored Liu Rong's stunned gaze and sat up in front of the table again.

"From that day on, the young master told the old minister: The military officials will definitely take action against King Youxian, and the old minister no longer has a headache about the Huns."

"There is only one thing. I have thought about it in many ways, but I still can't find the solution."

"--Why?"

"Sir, why did you take such a big risk by inviting me to accompany you inside the palace gate, and then tell me about this?"

·
"Since you know that the Huns will not help Liu Bi, the young master should not be worried that your majesty's reduction of vassals will put the ancestral temple and the country in danger, right?"

"With such confidence, the young master should obviously sit back and watch, waiting for Wu Chu to be destroyed;"

"And why did you risk the world's disapproval and tell me, a dying old man, the news that it's not even convenient to tell the source?"

"What virtues and abilities I have, I am worthy of taking such a huge risk, sir..."

Hearing the profound meaning of Shen Tujia's words, Liu Rong could only freeze on the spot, as if he was surprised that Shen Tujia could think of this.

After only a moment, he smiled in relief again.

——Shen Tujia is just stubborn;
But as the prime minister of the Han family, Shen Tujia is definitely not stupid.

Not accepting bribes or playing tricks on others does not mean that the old prime minister cannot understand the rules;
Disdain to interact with others does not mean that this veteran minister with outstanding achievements cannot see the intentions of others.

Liu Rong knew in his heart that he had countless ways to explain away Shen Tujia's question.

But in the end, Liu Rong chose to face it calmly.

"It is indeed as Gu Anhou said: My wisest choice is actually to do nothing."

"——Because I know that the Huns will never send troops south to help Liu Bi;"

"——I also know that Uncle Liang, the sweet dream of the 'Crown Prince and the Crown Prince', will definitely wake up together with Liu Bi's sweet dream of 'taking the throne and reaching the Ninth Five-Year Plan'."

"If I want to protect myself wisely, I don't need to do this. I just need to cooperate with my father and act well, and be a respectful and sensible eldest son to my father. Then I can get everything I want."

"But in the end, I chose to take the risk."

"So, the old minister of Anhou is seeking the country, can't you really understand my intention?"

As soon as Liu Rong said this, Shen Tujia still had a smile on his face, but his words immediately brought out the alienation that had previously kept Liu Rong thousands of miles away.

"Old minister, I will never help the young master."

"Whether it's the young master or anyone else, I will never interfere in anything related to the reserve position."

But when Liu Rong heard this, he only smiled casually and stared deeply into the depths of Shen Tujia's eyes;

After a long time, he turned around with a smile and walked towards the door of the mansion, leaving only Shen Tujia's handsome back.

"The future crown prince may not need the old prime minister Shen Tujia~"

"But right now, my Han family needs Gu'anhou."

"A certain yellow-haired boy who thinks he has everything under control is reluctant to let the old prime minister, who has devoted his whole life, die in the hands of a sinister and cunning person..."

·
"Please take care, Lord An~"

"The next time we meet, Gong Zirong, I will no longer be just Gong Zirong..."

(End of this chapter)