"So, Duke Wei also went to Zhujiagou today?"
Wei Zheng smiled bitterly and said: "The road is blocked by heavy snow, and I happened to meet the King of Huaiyang... I should thank you for saving my life. Do you want to be shameless?"
Now Li Jiancheng and Wang Gui had nothing to say. Wei Zheng was rescued by Li Shan a few months ago. Before, they could say that Li Shan was not in Chang'an. Now that they have been back for a long time, they should naturally pay their respects... Of course, they haven't entered the capital yet. He was about to come to the door, but he was run away by Li Daoxuan.
Wang Gui stroked his beard and said: "I'm afraid Xuancheng doesn't know yet, but Ling Jing has entered Tiance Mansion... That day, Fang Xuanling, Du Ming, and Changsun Wuji came out to welcome him. The King of Qin summoned all the civil and military staff and held a banquet for him... It was so big. posture!"
The King of Qin, Li Shimin, welcomed Ling Jing, who had made great contributions to Shandong, into the Tiance Mansion with extremely solemn etiquette. From the perspective of the East Palace, it was King Qin who slapped the prince on the face with a slap on the left and a slap on the right.
"This matter is already known." Wei Zheng glanced at Li Jiancheng, "Ling Jing lives in Zhujiagou. He didn't come forward originally, but later Yu Wenren came to greet him."
"What?" Wang Gui's expression changed slightly, "He and Li Huairen?"
"His life was saved by Li Huairen." Wei Zheng told the story before sighing: "Ling Jing has done a great job in comforting the states in Shandong this time..."
Regarding the relationship between Li Shan and Ling Jing, except for Li Shimin, several close aides in the Qin Palace were insiders, but it did not spread... Li Shan also deliberately exposed this relationship today.
Wang Gui narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice after a while: "For more than a month, Li Huairen's name has been spread all over the capital. Some people say that he is violent and easy to kill, some say that he is benevolent and righteous, and some praise him for his contribution to Chang'an... There are rumors that Li Huairen planned a plan to persuade the Turks to retreat, defeated the enemy army, and captured Liu Heitai..."
"Xuan Cheng is touring Shandong. How much is true? How much is false?"
In the past month or so, as Huaiyang King Li Daoxuan was first defeated and then victorious, and Liu Heitai was captured and killed, the rumors about Li Shan in Chang'an City... especially after the Qinghe incident, the rumors have changed a bit.
He was even labeled as violent and easy to kill.
Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others knew the inside story either through Li Kai, or through Tian Liuan, Ling Jing and others, but the information channels on the East Palace side were obviously lagging behind.
Wei Zheng briefly gathered his thoughts, but before he could speak, Li Jiancheng smiled bitterly and said: "It is cruel and easy to kill, and benevolence and righteousness come first... I don't know whether it is true or not, but the success of planning and making plans... is absolutely true."
After looking at Wang Gui, Li Jiancheng explained: "Just now, the King of Huaiyang asked Li Huairen for merit in front of his father. My father... will wait until after the imperial examination next month before summoning him again."
"Li Huairen wants to take the imperial examination to become an official?" Wang Gui was keenly aware of this, "Xuancheng, can we talk about this today?"
Seeing Wei Zheng nodding, Wang Gui asked, "Should it be Mingshu Ke or Ming Jing Ke?"
The corner of Wei Zheng's mouth twitched, "Jinshi Department."
"Jinshi Department?"
"Jinshi Department?"
Both Li Jiancheng and Wang Gui were greatly surprised. A large part of Li Shan's reputation in Beijing came from abacus. How could he choose to be a Jinshi?
"It's too late for him to return to the capital. After passing the county government examination, he can only choose the Jinshi subject... There is a shortage of scholar subjects, but the Chang'an order does not dare to recommend him." Wei Zheng explained a few words and pointed to the slender white porcelain vase on the table. "It's snowing in the evening, so I can drink a glass of wine... Although it's superficial, it's not very interesting."
Although Li Shan claimed that he only had a brief understanding of it, and that he heard this poem recited by others in Lingnan... Wei Zheng didn't believe it at all.
In this regard... Li Shan's credibility is basically zero.
Wei Zheng has just told everything about Shandong. Now he will talk about it in detail... about the various information about Li Shan that he found in Shandong.
Regarding the details of the Shandong war, Li Shan did not hide it from Wei Zheng... This was also difficult to hide. The county magistrates of Guantao were all members of the Cui family of Qinghe.
"It is true that he lived up to his reputation as a young hero." Wang Gui clicked his tongue in wonder. "He tried to survive several times, turned defeat into victory, set fire to the ship... his fantastic ideas destroyed the enemy's morale."
"A night attack on the enemy camp shows your courage!" Li Jiancheng nodded: "No wonder Xuancheng recommended him several times after returning to Beijing last time!"
Wei Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "But I didn't expect that... Huairen could create such a big stir in Shandong."
Li Jiancheng pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice: "Looking at Xuancheng, who is Li Shan?"
This sentence is asking about Li Shan, about his ability and character, and even more about Li Shan's political stance... Can such a talented person be used by the East Palace?
Regarding this issue, Wei Zheng has obviously thought deeply about it, "Li Huairen is a man with deep scheming, long-term vision, sharp means, and decisive actions."
"On that day, it was concluded that the battle at Xiabo would be defeated. The King of Huaiyang did not listen to his advice, so Li Huairen immediately left the city and went south to avoid disaster... and the facts were indeed similar to what Li Huairen expected."
"But this man is young, but he has a lot of benevolence and righteousness." Wei Zheng sighed, "Your Highness is not only a prince sitting in the East Palace, but also has many battles... The wounded soldiers in the army are in extremely miserable condition."
"When I entered Hebei, I first went to the prison camp outside Wei County. I saw with my own eyes that Li Huairen had set up a camp for wounded soldiers. It was clean and orderly with almost no blood stains. The wounded were bandaged... Li Huairen was extremely popular with the prisoners and was the leader of the rebels. Use your back to support him when he dismounts."
"The wounded barracks in Guantao County are even more..." Wei Zheng smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, Prince... I have been in battle for many years and have never seen anything like that... I almost thought it was peaceful time, with dedicated personnel taking care of it and eating meat every day. There is no peculiar smell, and the food is better than that of a lieutenant general in the army."
"Such a method..." Wang Gui asked tentatively: "So it can boost the morale of the army?"
Wei Zheng nodded and said: "Liu Heitao stormed Guantao twice, Su Dingfang led the attack twice, and hundreds of cavalry were defeated... The high morale of the army is a major reason."
"Su Dingfang?"
"This man is not famous, but he has made outstanding contributions in the Shandong war, but he is unwilling to serve." Wei Zheng paused before continuing: "Although he is only twenty-six, he has the appearance of a famous general, not inferior to Qin Qiong, Cheng Zhijie, and Li Shiji .”
Li Jiancheng's eyes lit up. The pressure on him from the outstanding cultural relics in Prince Qin's Palace was too much... Now that he saw the awesome ones... his eyes were shining.
"I'm afraid it's a bit difficult." Wei Zheng shook his head, "With Su Dingfang's achievements, a knighthood is enough... But Li Huairen personally saved his mother, and Su Dingfang promised to become a slave."
"What's more, Li Huairen treats him like an elder brother, and Su Dingfang will never abandon him." Wei Zheng clicked his tongue and said, "I have seen him in Shandong before, and I saw him again today. He is calm and collected, with the demeanor of a general."
Seeing that Li Jiancheng was a little anxious, Wang Gui coughed twice and said, "Ling Jing threw himself into Tiance Mansion... Where is Li Huairen?"
This is Wang Gui asking about Li Shan's political stance, and at the same time reminding Li Jiancheng... The key is Li Shan.
"Li Huairen and his party went south, and were supported by Tian Liu'an, the general manager of Weizhou, and he was replaced by the King of Huaiyang. They fought in Guantao and Wei County, and they lived and died together... It's a feeling of glory." Wei Zheng said with a smile: "And he killed Liu Heitao. The head was given by Li Huairen."
Li Jiancheng's eyes flickered, "Li Huairen and Xu Cheng Mingzhen?"
Wei Zheng nodded and said: "I have inquired in detail about this. Li Huairen... In order to invite Cheng Mingzhen to send troops, he promised to capture Liu Heitai and behead him with his own hands."
Li Jiancheng nodded slightly. In fact, he knew about this matter. As the prince of the East Palace, how could he know nothing about everything in Shandong... It's just that there are some channels that even close advisers like Wang Gui and Wei Zheng don't know.
"It seems that Li Huairen has a good relationship with the King of Qin, Tian Liu'an, Qi Shanxing, King Huaiyang, and even he has good relations with the descendants of the King of Qin..."
In the middle of Wei Zheng's words, Wang Gui nodded and said, "I have inquired about this matter. After two fights, Li Huairen convinced the Qin Prince's children and tried his best to save Changsun Wuji's eldest son, Changsun Chong."
"But in fact..." Wei Zheng shook his head and said: "Li Huairen killed the Cui family's children in Qinghe County."
"Act decisively but also have benevolence in your heart to calm the civil unrest... This is the overall situation, but you can also judge his heart from this action."
"If Li Huairen leaves it alone..." Wang Gui sighed: "Then Xuancheng and his party from Shandong will probably be punished by His Majesty."
Regarding this matter, Li Jiancheng didn't know much about the inside story, so he asked in detail, and his cheeks couldn't help but bulge, "In other words, if Li Huairen hadn't killed Cui Bo and the civil rebellion had begun, the King of Huaiyang would have turned a blind eye... "
"Afterwards, when Shandong was in chaos again, the King of Huaiyang led his troops to quell the chaos," Wang Gui said with a bitter smile: "If Shandong is in chaos again... the blame for this kind of crime will naturally fall on the East Palace."
"In other words, Li Huairen cut off his second brother's backhand with this move..." Li Jiancheng murmured a few words, "Can't it be a coincidence?"
"It's definitely not a coincidence." The expression on Wei Zheng's face was quite bitter, "Huairen raised his sword and struck down. I didn't think about it at the time... But Huairen ordered the knight to hold the head and rush everywhere overnight. The next day, The rebellion and civil unrest in the state were stopped, and within three days, Zhaozhou, Xingzhou, Beizhou, and Jizhou were all settled."
Wang Gui thought about it for a moment and said with a smile: "This young man is quite naughty and can play both sides!"
"Impartial... Such a great achievement, but you need to take the imperial examination to become an official." Wei Zheng smiled and said: "Let's see again."
Li Jiancheng sighed: "It's a pity, it's a pity... In fact, it is enough to convict Cui Bo, why do you have to behead him with your own hands?"
During the Shandong War, Li Shan became famous, but he was ostracized for killing Cui Bo. There were three children of the Qinghe Cui family in the East Palace, and as many as seven children of the Qinghe Cui family and the Boling Cui family who relied on Li Jiancheng. In a short period of time, he It is impossible to recruit Li Shan to his subordinates... Even if he recruits him, Li Shan will not dare to agree with him.
"A civil uprising has begun. Killing Cui Bo is the most sensible way." Wei Zheng thought for a while and added: "After all, he was a young man who was not yet in his prime. He repeatedly gave in, and the victim was rounded up and tortured to death. He had a blockage in his chest. If you don’t vomit, you won’t be happy.”
Wang Gui smiled and said: "Let's talk about it later... King Qin also..."
Li Jiancheng nodded in agreement. The second brother didn't succeed anyway... I'm afraid it was also because Li Shan killed the descendants of the Cui family in Qinghe.
Wei Zheng lowered his head slightly, hiding the suspicion in his eyes... He always felt that Li Shan's killing of Cui Bo was a bit strange.
It was precisely because of the beheading of Cui Bo that after Li Shan returned to Chang'an... he was still calm and composed between the East Palace and King Qin, and naturally did not make a choice.
"Today, I received advice from the prince and Duke Wei. I have made up my mind. From now on, I would like to ask for more guidance from you sir."
Facing the solemn salute of the Prince of the East Palace, Wang Gui and Wei Zheng took two steps back and bowed in return, "You should do your best."
"As for Li Huairen... Wei Gong has a close relationship with him, so please be kind to Gu Huairen."
Wei Zheng glanced over there... Wei Ting fell asleep a long time ago. After thinking again and again, his cheeks moved unconsciously, "Your Highness wants to be gentle with Li Huairen, and now there is a good opportunity..."
Well, at dusk that day, Prince Li Jiancheng of the East Palace held a gift box in his hand...
"Father, take a sip... take a sip, this wine is too strong!"
"Is this wine or water?" Li Yuan took a sip and tasted it for a long time. "Sex is like fire. Where did Da Lang get the good wine?!"
"Clear as water, strong as fire." Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "It is very strong in the entrance, like fire in the throat, but warm in the abdomen... It was sent by Wei Xuancheng."
"Is it Shandong's famous wine?" Li Yuan asked curiously: "Wei Xuancheng is fair and selfless, and never flatters, so he would actually offer this to you?"
"No, no, no... The King of Huaiyang came to Li's house today to pay his respects. Wei Xuancheng suffered an old illness in Shaanxi Province a few months ago and was helped by Li Huairen, so we came together." Li Jiancheng explained: "This is a gift from Li Huairen. , as soon as the child tastes... he will know that his father will be happy."
"Dalang, what a big man!" Li Yuan laughed. Although everyone outside praised the second son, the eldest son was more loved by him, and everything he did and said was in line with his heart.
Li Jiancheng cupped his hands and said, "There will be a banquet tomorrow, why not use this wine?"
"Li Shan, Li Huairen..." Li Yuan pondered for a moment, then laughed dumbly and said: "Da Lang is... that's all. Since Da Lang has spoken, I can't refute it as a father."
"Thank you, father." Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "Wei Zheng and Cui Hao visited Shandong and returned to Beijing today. Although they achieved a small success, there were also quite a few twists and turns. Let's talk about it later, father."
Li Yuan stared at his son for a while and sighed: "Dalang, after months of fighting, I finally realized it today."
Li Yuan will naturally reward him for meeting Wei Zheng and Cui Hao. This is what Li Jiancheng insists on... and cannot be suppressed by his second brother.
But in fact, Li Yuan knew very well that the actual role of Wei Zheng, Cui Hao and Shandong's party was very limited. Officials in the DPRK and the Central Government knew that most of the credit for pacifying Shandong was taken away by Ling Jing who was summoned to Tiance Mansion.
Li Yuan's meaning in the so-called months of fighting was very clear. The prince had to put all his efforts on the military side to obtain military honors to balance the King of Qin... It was really not a wise move. Taking a step back was the right choice.
As the prince of the East Palace, you should be diligent in political affairs. As long as there are no mistakes, what reason do I have to replace you with King Qin?
Feeling relaxed, Li Yuan drank a few more glasses of wine and said with a smile: "Li Huairen really has some fantastic ideas... That abacus is really useful. Guangda entered the palace a few days ago and specially taught King Jing. , King of Han."
"The children are all studying." Li Jiancheng echoed a few words, "The third cousin likes a few younger brothers the most. He teaches every detail, and it happens that Zong Zhengqing is vacant, so why not..."
"Guangda must be a bit younger." Li Yuan sighed: "It's a pity that Brother Dou passed away too early..."
Guangda means Taichang Qing and Guozi sacrifice wine to Dou Dan. The so-called Brother Dou refers to Li Yuan's wife's cousin Dou Kang.
Li Jiancheng did not continue to talk about this matter, but talked about the clan members. After a while, he suddenly said: "Father, the third sister has been stationed in Bingzhou for many years. Is it time to return to Beijing?"
"My sister-in-law has been in Beijing all the time. It is difficult for the couple to be reunited for a long time. Moreover, my sister-in-law is the general of You Xiaowei and is busy with military affairs, so there is little care for the two sons."
Li Yuan was startled for a moment and sighed: "Pingyang... Pingyang..."
"It's really time for Pingyang to return to Beijing, even if he is stationed in Guanzhong."
