"Sigh... I really don't want to join in the fun." Seeing everyone saying this, Zhao Yu decided to give Gong Shouli some face.
"If you are too lazy to buy it, go back to Lin Qi and pick something from me to take away. Have you got all the New Year's goods? If not, you might as well just get them from me. The yard is so full now. No more!" Xiao Chen said.
"Don't worry, your boss can't be partial to Zhao Ziyu alone. He can take things, so do we have to go back empty-handed? I'll be more excited later. There are still several gifts that I haven't given away. It just so happens that we have to go back empty-handed. You've got the boss here to take care of it," Liu Wenzheng said.
"What the hell, you come here empty-handed every time, and you still have to take something when you leave without seeing anything! Zhao Ziyu is poor, so are you?" Xiao Chen said.
"Let's see who we compete with." Liu Wenzheng said with a smile.
"That's okay, I reluctantly accepted it. It can be regarded as doing your Lord Marquis a favor." Zhao Yu said, "You won't be able to eat it all, and it will be wasted."
"What did you, Zhao Ziyu, say? Those are all good things! Don't hold me back, as if I was begging you for it!" Xiao Chen said angrily.
"Things are all good, but they are not great things!" What Zhao Yu said was inexplicable.
"Zhao Ziyu, just say what you say and don't curse." Liu Wenzheng said.
"I'm not scolding Mr. Xiao, nor those who give gifts, nor those things." Zhao Yu sighed, "I'm scolding this bad habit!"
"Well, we all know what Ziyu means, but the customs formed over thousands of years are hard to change. How many times has the emperor rectified the administration of officials, but he has not taken this aspect into consideration. According to me, it is better for the court to issue a decree. Officials are strictly prohibited from giving gifts!" Li Hong said.
"Actually, this is really the case." Liu Wenzheng said, "Especially during the Chinese New Year, or when people like Eunuch Gong are doing things at home, they always have to worry about giving gifts. We can't afford the heavy gifts. We are too light and we are afraid of offending others. This is the case for us, and the same is true for the people below."
"Especially the local custom of serving ice and charcoal is a bad custom!" Liu Qiheng said, "How much money do localities spend every year to purchase these things? This money is not paid by themselves, it is all from the hands of the people. It was dug out from inside! It's just like Duan Fengnian's gift. I don't know about you, but I receive it every year. It's okay not to accept it."
"As long as we don't accept them, can they still forcefully give them away?" Zhao Yu said, "I never accept gifts, and I don't see anything wrong with them."
"So you, Mr. Zhao, stand out." Liu Qiheng said, "But it's not because I haven't seen anything. When I was in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, I only received the information about your impeachment and participation in your impeachment. When stacked, it is higher than you, Mr. Zhao! It's just that! Because the emperor protects you, otherwise you would have been killed by others!"
"Haha, so that's the way it is. Those of us who receive gifts are well-versed in the ways of the world, and everyone praises him. For someone as upright as Zhao Ziyu, on the contrary, he doesn't know the current affairs, and everyone calls for beating him!" Li Hongdao.
"Although it is a burden, it may not be difficult to get rid of. As long as you are determined to do it, there is nothing you can't do! Even if you can't do it, someone must do it." Xiao Chen said, "Zhao Ziyu, since you hate this so much , When I see the emperor later, I will raise it directly."
"You think I don't dare?" Zhao Yu stood up with a slap on the table, but then sat down slumped, "But I am a small Fengyang Mansion, and I speak softly. I'm afraid the emperor won't listen, and he might even scold me for being troublesome. , besides, this is not something that I, Fengyang Mansion, should take care of..."
"The Emperor is not afraid that we will make mistakes, do things wrong, or say things wrong, but he is afraid that we will do nothing." Xiao Chen said, "So whatever we see, hear, and think, we can actually tell the Emperor. Don't think that the Emperor knows everything." If you know, don't think that he doesn't know anything... A minister must act with his heart and do things with a public heart, and cannot be selfish..."
"Master Xiaohou, what you said is a great truth. Everyone understands the truth, but when it comes to practice..." Li Hong sighed and shook his head repeatedly.
"You are just trying to protect yourself. This is selfishness." Xiao Chen said, "I am not targeting you, Fatty Li. I am saying that everyone is like this, so I know that giving and receiving gifts is a bad habit, but no one does it. They will stand up and speak out, pretending to be confused while pretending to understand, drifting with the crowd, and living in harmony with the light."
"Then I will go to see the emperor tomorrow!" Zhao Yu decided to risk it all.
"There's no need to rush now. It's almost the Chinese New Year, and all the gifts that need to be given are almost given... At this festive time, don't bother the big guys and the emperor. Don't wait until the New Year is over. Too late." After all, Xiao Chen still has to be human and sophisticated.
A few people were drinking when suddenly Xiao Yu came to report that the prince was here?
Which prince?
Of course it was Prince Xuanping. The other two princes would not come to Xiao Chen's house in person, let alone so late.
Liu Qiheng and others hurriedly left, and Xiao Chen did not stay with them, because Li Qiu must have something important to do when he came so late.
Please come in and ask him what happened without waiting for him to sit down.
"It's nothing. Actually, I just came out of the palace. I passed by here when I went home, so I came in to have a chat with you." Li Qiu said.
"You should come less often if you have nothing to do, and you shouldn't come so late. Don't forget that you are the prince!" Xiao Chen said angrily.
"You also know that I am the prince, but you still speak so loudly to me." Li Qiu muttered.
"No, you kid, if you don't go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, there must be something wrong." Xiao Chen said, "If you have something to say, tell me quickly, and then leave quickly. You should not stay here for a long time, unless the emperor asks you to find me."
"It's nothing... there's something..." Li Qiu said, "Didn't we execute the imperial prisoner of Langya County today? Shao Wenzhao went to reply to the emperor, and the emperor called me to testify for a while."
"What's wrong with the imperial convict?" Xiao Chen's heart moved.
"That's not true. It's just a matter of procedure. Shao Wenzhao left. My father left me to talk and had dinner together. Although he praised me a lot, he said that my martial arts was good, but my martial arts was a little worse. I must do more in the future. Reading, he also said that he also started out as a martial artist and had little literary talent, so he was always called the Emperor of Horses, and he felt a lot of regret."
"Then you compose a poem for the emperor." Xiao Chen said with a smile, "Aren't you pretty good at poetry?"
"What kind of literary talent are poems, lyrics, and songs?" Li Qiu said, "You have to be able to write articles. But since ancient times, there has been no first in writing and no second in martial arts. How can I show this literary talent? Besides, I am a prince. I have no reason. It’s obviously inappropriate to write any kind of article, but as Father said, I will always have to give an explanation in the future to prove that I have studied.”
"I don't agree with what you said." Xiao Chen said, "I think I am the most talented person in the world because I write poems... Of course I can also write articles, and as you said, I won't do anything if I have nothing to do. It’s so messy...then can you compose? You’ve read all four books and five classics, right?”
