In the Tai Chi Hall, the officials were brave for a rare occasion, pointing at the nose of the champion Hou Xiaorui and yelling curses.
Li Er sat on the dragon chair, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. The imperial court in front of him was filled with impeachment memorials. In fact, there was no need for impeachment or inquiring. Xiaojiazhuang had already reported the contents of the negotiations between Xiao Rui and Lu Dongzan. Yes, it can be compared to the details left by Lu Dongzan.
Xiao Rui had never reported the Jiannan Dao of the Tang Dynasty as a bet beforehand, so Li Er was also very dissatisfied. Can such a thing be a joke?
A few years ago, Xiao Rui took charge of the Yushitai, and the entire Yushitai went from a cold bench to a hot and powerful yamen, and was even regarded by the people as the embodiment of justice in the Tang Dynasty. But the Yushitai is the Yushitai after all. It is the duty to impeach injustices after hearing rumors, and it is not a department that strives to redress the grievances of the people.
Therefore, the main force behind the impeachment of Xiao Rui in the hall today is the Yushitai. It is not that they want to target this idol, but this time starting from the rumors in Chang'an City to the full evidence, the nails are too serious, and the Yushitai cannot be regarded as Out of sight.
Everyone quarreled for a while, and Li Er finally spoke impatiently, "That's enough! Xiao Rui, tell me, is the incident about Tubo and Jiannan Road true or false? This matter has spread all over the city, please explain it carefully."
Xiao Rui didn't look at his cheap father-in-law either. Although he could hear his dissatisfaction in his words, at this time in the main hall, he couldn't reply to the emperor face to face, so he could only vent his anger on the ministers.
"Whoever said that I was having an affair with Tibet should stand up and provide concrete evidence. If the evidence is conclusive, I will kill you without any complaints."
A fifth-rank official from the Ministry of Rites stood up. He was born in Qiwang, and when he saw the opportunity to suppress Xiao Rui, he was naturally very active.
"There is news in Chang'an City that the Marquis wants to exchange Jiannan Road of the Tang Dynasty for Tibet..."
"Wait! That Hun is just talking nonsense? Can you tell me clearly, the rumor is that I am really going to replace Tubo? Are you stupid? Or am I crazy? Is the wealth of Jiannan Road comparable to that of Tubo? "Xiao Rui scolded.
Forehead……
The man was stunned, and someone immediately stood up and added, "Master Hou, the rumors should not be believed easily, so we immediately went to verify it. It happened that the Tubo Prime Minister Lu Dongzan had not left Chang'an that day, so we sent someone to confirm it in person .”
"Oh? What did Lu Dongzan say?" Xiao Rui was very curious.
The other party replied: "The Prime Minister of Tubo said that the Marquis sent someone to ask him to go to Xiaojiazhuang to negotiate a deal. The Marquis wanted the Xiaojia Chamber of Commerce to go deep into Tubo to do business, but Lu Dongzan did not agree. So the Marquis asked him to go to Jiannan of the Tang Dynasty to do business. Dao is a bet in exchange for the opportunity to do business in Tubo. We have a testimony signed by Lu Dongzan here."
What? ? ?
After hearing such detailed evidence, the whole audience was in an uproar. Even Xiao Rui's other old father-in-law, Wei Zheng, frowned deeply. This evidence was too unfavorable to Xiao Rui.
"Master Marquis, is this true? From what I know about you, the following officials know that you do your business without caring about private interests. You are not the kind of villain who sells out the interests of the country for personal gain. This is not true, is it?" Someone from the Ministry of Household Affairs stood up. asked.
Xiao Rui snorted: "Of course it's not true!"
Then he pointed at a group of impeachers and angrily shouted: "Is there something wrong with you? In a barren land like Tubo, I want to do business? Is it possible that there are mountains of gold and silver in front of me? It's worth my giving away the Jiannan Road of the Tang Dynasty as a bet, in exchange for Ask the other party to agree to do business? Who is Lu Dongzan? Is he worthy of negotiating terms with me?"
"Besides, the purpose of doing business is to make money. If you can't do business on the Western Silk Road, why should I go to the barren southwest?"
Um? ?
Not only were all the ministers confused by these words, Li Er was also a little surprised, thinking to himself, what is this kid doing? Lying and sophistry?
"What does the Marquis mean?" someone asked puzzledly.
Xiao Rui scolded him, "A bunch of idiots! That Lu Dongzan was clearly throwing dirt on me and framed me. How about you go to him to verify it? He was the one who started this rumor. Who doesn't know that I was so cruel at the time?" I beat him up, and now before he leaves, he digs a hole for me to take revenge."
"It's better for you, just listen to the wind and rain, and don't use your brain to think about it. Even if you want to make up a reason to harm me, just make up a similar one. This kind of loss-making business? Not to mention that I can't do it, even an individual can't do it. Bar?"
"Also, Jiannan Road belongs to the Tang Dynasty and the imperial court. Do you want to use Jiannan Road as a bet? Am I qualified? Even His Majesty would not dare to say that the territory is a bet."
Forehead……
Everyone looked at each other, their faces all red from holding back, "But... Mr. Hou, Lu Dongzan's testimony..."
"I've already said that he was taking revenge on me. It's better for you. You are officials of the Tang Dynasty, but you work as swordsmen for an outsider. You have the ability to fight against the Tibetan barbarians with words and words. What did you do to me? They came to force me in the first place. Where were you during the wedding?"
"Hmph, I am an expert in civil war and an outsider in foreign war. If I had not lost all my martial arts skills, I would have beaten you idiots even if I wanted to make a fuss about it today."
Li Er set up the table and scolded: "Okay! It's enough to explain the misunderstanding clearly. Let me explain it to you. What do you want? Beat up my important ministers? All officials have the duty to report things, so you make a private appointment with Lu Dongzan It's against the rules to discuss business, so I'll let you explain and I won't wrong you."
Xiao Rui said aggrievedly: "Your Majesty, the ministers are discussing business in private, isn't it for the Tang Dynasty? Are they really trying to make money? Tubo is so poor, how can we make money from them? It's not as good as Zhuangzi, who has captured as much food as me."
Wei Zheng took the opportunity to stand up and asked, "Oh? Does this business deal involve any state affairs? But what kind of secret plan is it?"
Xiao Rui nodded and said: "Everyone knows that Tubo took advantage of the geographical advantage and spread rumors that they were blessed by the gods. If outsiders invaded, they would be cursed, which could range from serious illness to death, so for so many years, it has always been them. The autumn wind comes down to harass our border, but we are unable to attack and take revenge."
"I think the so-called curse is nothing more than a pretense made by them. In all likelihood, it is due to acclimatization. However, Tubo's defenses are very strict, and it is difficult for outsiders to go deep into their interior to find out. Isn't this just an attempt to use trade channels to find out in depth? In the end, Now that this so-called curse has been broken, our army can attack Tubo and we no longer have to be threatened by them."
After hearing this, everyone suddenly realized and began to apologize to Xiao Rui one by one. It turns out that this is the case. The Marquis is still the righteous Marquis. We were blind and misunderstood the Marquis. The Marquis is not a traitor, but a hero!
"What happened next? Is it done?"
"No, Lu Dongzan won't hold anything back. He is afraid that I will really crack it, so no matter whether it is discussing cooperation, coercion or inducement, or even provoking him to make a bet, it is useless. I have no choice but to let them go. The matter of cracking the curse will not be solved in the future. Let's figure it out slowly." Xiao Rui said regretfully.
After the problem was explained clearly and everyone apologized, the farce of the court meeting came to an end.
After the dynasty dispersed, Li Er left Xiao Rui to eat at the Lizheng Hall.
When Weng and son-in-law were alone, Li Er asked his real doubt, "If Lu Dongzan agrees to the bet, do you really want to bet on Jiannan Road?"
Xiao Rui knew that he couldn't hide it, so he answered truthfully. He had already answered Li Junxian before. It was a bad check. He would either forge credentials or not cash it in the future. Even if he cashed it, he would kill people and seize land when they sent people to take over. , regain control of the territory, and there will be no loss no matter what.
Li Er rolled his eyes and scolded: "Nonsense! Your words and deeds represent the Tang Dynasty, they are not child's play!"
Xiao Rui said in confusion: "Father-in-law, if I trade my personal reputation and reputation in exchange for the country of Tubo, this deal is worth it!"
Li Er shook his head and said: "This is not your personal reputation, nor is it the matter of Tubo. If I support your unscrupulous means, then our Tang Dynasty will destroy the Great Wall. In the future, future kings and future ministers will all follow suit. If you do whatever it takes to achieve your goal, then the Tang Dynasty will become a country without principles."
"I know you have good intentions and want to nip the danger in the bud, but if the Tang Dynasty wants to stand firm, it must have upright national integrity. Do you understand?"
Xiao Rui nodded, "Xiao Rui, please remember!"
Li Er didn't want to reprimand too much, and said gently: "Okay, sit down and talk about Tubo. If you can't plot against Lu Dongzan, what are you going to do? I remember you said you would train a special force to deal with Tubo. , I have already selected 20,000 elites, who can send them to you for training at any time."
